Guardian of the Chosen One: Amalthea's story
by Smiling Eyes
Summary: Before Zeus came to power the world was ruled by titans. Titans who wanted to extinct all the gods, and most vile of them all was their ruler, the tyrant Cronus...
1. Amalthea remembers

_This is a story for all lovers of Greek mythology - the story of how it all started. Once, way back when the world was ruled by cruel Titans..._

1. Amalthea remembers

The eternal noise of this city of concrete and glass keeps me awake at night. I'm longing for the silence of the mountains and the woodlands. Longing for heavens where you can still see the stars, not just the pomegranate-red reflections of the ever-burning city-lights.

But my latest lover likes it here. He snores head down in the pillow, sea-green dreads all over the bed and lithe body sprawled and tangled in the satin sheets, black tribal tattoos on olive skin. He's Hudson, river-god and protector of the great city New York. And I'm Amalthea, woodland-goddess from Crete and as ancient as they come. I use to say 5000, let's leave it there...

I started off humble enough, as a guardian of goats, living in a cave and rejoicing the simple things in life, like fresh feta cheese, ripe oranges, a beautiful sunrise and budding roses. But I was bound for a more important task in life. The task as guardian of the boy-child who was to become the ruling King of Gods.

Yes, Zeus still holds that position even if the world has changed beyond my wildest dreams and we immortals now lead a more low-key life behind the grand stage of the world. Zeus is still the one who runs it all, even if he's doing it through dummies these days, pulling the strings only immortals can spot.

I saw him on TV today as Joe Peters, the president's new National Advisor. His avartar a man in his late 40:ies or early 50:ies, vaguely resembling the actor George Clooney. Posh-looking in Armanis and a Harvard doctorate ring he was giving brilliant answers to mortal reporters at a White House press conference. A perfect disguise, but it was those eyes that gave him away, at least to me. No matter that you can't spot the immortal ultraviolet shine in the pupils through TV, which only operates on the visual levels mortals can see; it's that certain something that reveals Zeus to this lady who has known him since he was but a week old.

Then there has almost always been a Joe Peters or a Zev Donner or someone behind every president or king or emperor in possession of real power. As chancellor, prime minister, secretary general or something. Seldom the apparent man in charge himself, but always there, always the wielder of the real power.

Just as with religion today. This heterogene collection of immortals incarnating every aspect of earth-power, from tiny birds to great nuclear power plants has become too complicated for the mere mortal to grasp. About ten million of gods and goddesses and other beings spread all over the world from the inner planet core and out in the stratosphere, and ranging in importance from a mere street light nymph to Zeus himself; it became too much already back in the ancient times.

So Zeus struck a deal with this go-getter who wasn't content with being "Numero Uno" with his little Kaanaan dessert tribe and promised him power and glory in return for making up a reality the mortals could grasp. And this Jahwe came up with heaven and hell and Adam and Eve and Satan and all that jazz in return for being THE God. All right, his story wasn't water-proof, his lad wanted part of the glory too and there are still talented mortals out there who can spot a god or a goddess upon encountering them in the street. But these are usually let in on the truth, because what harm can it do having one percent knowing it? They would be considered crazy anyhow if they told.

And when my little boy in his latest incarnation smiled back at me though the TV-screen all my memories started to flood back. So what better to do on a sleepless night than filling this new laptop of mine with my story. The story about saving young Zeus from his cruel father and watching him grow up to become what he is today.


	2. The castle of Cronos

**2. The castle of Cronos **

If you look at a map of the Mediterranean you wouldn't notice anything strange. But to me there are some things missing. Or to be more exact, two large islands. I miss Leviathan west of Cyprus and Atlantis south of Crete. Those islands were destroyed during the Titanomachy, the great war to end all wars (or so we thought). The great war between Zeus and his Allies and Cronos and his Titans. Atlantis was a Divine stronghold, Leviathan held the dwelling of Cronos.

I came to Leviathan at the age of twelve to work as a divine goat heard, keeping watch over the golden animals that graced the northern slopes of the island. I guess my mother had no other choice than letting me go, even though I didn't want to leave Crete and was scared of the dark place that was the dwelling of the Titan King. But luckily enough I didn't have to live in the castle, but was installed in the servants pavilion just outside the main court.

I could tell a lot of nightmarish stories about the ways of the castle, of Cronos' dungeons where he kept and tortured his prisoners and who's screams could be heard all over the island, until you learned to block them. I could tell about the Dark Warriors he sent out to beat down oppression. They were monsters in its true aspect, seven feet tall, bat like beings with razor-sharp claws and fangs and evil red eyes. Creatures Cronos had brought out from the Dark Realm, creatures who fed on blood and fear and were completely obedient to their master. Sounds like a cliché perhaps, but they are the originals. It's upon them all later evil beasts have been modelled.

Or I could tell about the executions we all had to watch, long and extended killings of the Titans enemies. But that would leave page up and page down with horrors out of which nothing good can come. So I'm skipping this, at least until someone pays well for a script for a splatter movie.

Instead I'm going to tell about Rhea.

Rhea is one amazing woman. The things she had to endure, the horrors she saw, the nightmare she lived, no-one ought to be pushed trough so much misery as this young goddess got to experience even before reaching 30. Yet she walked through it with her head held high, and her heart pure, and emerged on the other side strong and wise.

Being fifteen I was assigned as Rhea's servant, my duties described as helping her with clothes, bathing, hair, make-up and other womanly things. A leap of a career shift from being a goat herd! Rhea had arrived at the castle the same spring. She came from the north, a pale and shy sixteen year old beauty who hid away inside the high, dark walls, an enigma, a mirage.

No wonder I was nervous the first day I went to work for her. At that time I had no idea of her place within the court. I had no idea that this quiet and solemn girl was selected as the next bride for the Titan King.

" Enter!" The voice was soft yet commanding and I pushed the heavy oak door open. Rhea sat on her bed, naked save for a golden necklace and a likewise golden foot-ring, and yet weiled by her long, silverblond hair which cascaded in soft ringlets down beneath knee-length. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen back then, with large, round lavender eyes regarding me behind curtains of hair and delicate hands resting in her lap.

" Hi..." I started, but then quickly correcting myself. This was no equal from the pavilion, this was a Lady of the court.  
" Milady, I'm Amalthea, your new chambermaid", I went on. "Of what service may I be?"  
" I am Rhea", the lady answered. "You can... you can start with opening the window. It's hot in here. And then you can help me with a bath and a hair wash. "

It certainly wasn't hot, I was freezing in spite of my thick woollen clothes, but I did as the Lady told me. The Castle of Cronos didn't have plumbing and running water; it was first when Zeus built his Olympos decades later such facilities were invented, his son Hephestos being the one coming up with this marvel. So I had to call for a Strongbloke who came fetching the copper tub, carried it on his huge, bronzed shoulders down, to the main well and filled it with icy but fresh water. I used Divine Heat to warm the tub and then I perfumed the bath with rosy soap.

That very first morning in Rhea's service I washed her long hair and massaged her neck and back; tongue tied, since I had no idea of what to say to such a noble lady.

Neither Rhea was talkative. She just told me what to do and what to fetch. She instructed me in pinning up her long hair and how to decorate it with pearls and gems, she told me to bring her writing tools and then she asked me if I could read and write.  
" No, Milady", I confessed, "I have never been taught that art."  
" A pity", Rhea said. "Yet that can be taken care of. I shall arrange for you to be given lessons."  
" Thank you Milady", I bowed.

" Do not thank me, it is not out of charity I offer this. It is going to be necessary if you are to work for me. I have no use for illiterate girlies. I want a small staff of reliable persons I can trust with important things. And reading and writing is necessary for what I am going to need you for, Amalthea. "

I blushed, I felt so humble in the presence of Rhea, so immature even if she was hardly a year older than me.  
" Tell me another thing", Rhea went on. "Where do you come from?"  
" Crete, Milady. "  
" Is it a good place?"  
" Yes, it's tranquil. Sparsely populated. Mountainous. Very beautiful. "

" Is it... safe?"  
" I'm not sure I understand, Milady. How do you mean 'safe'?"

" Can one go there and shake a tail of pursuers? If one want to be alone for a while I mean. "  
" I guess so, Milady. Especially if you go to Ida or Dicte or a similar place. Far away in the barren land among the mountains. "  
" That can be good to know. Now I want to ask you for one thing Amalthea. "  
" Yes, Milady?"  
" Stop calling me Milady, at least when we are alone. I'm Rhea. And I'm only eight months older than you. I don't want to feel like an old crone. This place is miserable enough, makes one feel old and worn, sucks out ones life spirit. "  
" I understand, Mi... Rhea. "

We didn't become friends the first day though. Or the first week or even the first month. But slowly we were starting to grow closer, Rhea beginning to confess things to me. Told me about her parents and the island where she had grown up. Told me about her childhood and the god she had been in love with, and how she had been torn away from all that and brought to this place of horror.

" Why?" I asked.  
" Because he desires me."  
" Who?"  
" The King."  
" Cronos?"  
" Don't say his name. It gives me the shivers. "

_Interlude_

My beloved has waken up. He's on his way out into the buzzing Manhattan. But first he's going to have his cellphone and his MP3-player and his pager and his palm-pilot and his digicam and his scanning-pen and keeps raving around the penthouse looking for these things. What is it with these modern gods and all their gadgets they want to carry around all the time, and why is it that they never seem to be able to find half of them when they need them?

" No, Hud, I haven't seen your iPod", I tell my beloved who for the third time tears out all his clothes from the wardrobe.  
" But Thea, I put it on the desk by the stationary PC yesterday and now it just ain't there. Are you sure the 'puter nymph hasn't been using it?"  
" Yes I am! She has after all her own gizmos. Now, have you looked in the kitchen?"  
" Why should I? It's not there. It has never been in the kitchen. Not since the day before yesterday at least. "  
" Take a look there anyway, sweetie!"

Of course the iPod was in the kitchen.

_Interlude ends_

One evening I found Rhea sprawled over her bed, crying. Her back was shaking and her sobs seemed uncontrollable. I sat down, patting her awkwardly on the back of her head.  
" Rhea, what's wrong? "  
" He had me", she gasped. "He raped me."

I didn't need to ask who. I just looked at her ruined hairdo and torn-apart, blood-stained dress, feeling so incredible sorry for her. And I was glad I wasn't pretty. That I didn't have the looks to attract Titans.

One month later the King sent his present Queen away and married Rhea. It was a terrible event. I had never seen my lady looking so pale as the morning when I dressed her in a white lace dress and decorated her hair with silver and amethysts. Before she went down to the reception hall to be received by the King she took my hand and looked at me with sad, sombre eyes.  
" Amalthea", she said, voice weak and shivering. "Remember my inquires about your island. They were seriously meant. Don't ever mention them to anyone! "

" Rhea are you sure..."  
" I don't want to end like Gionna. To be sent away to... "  
" Where? "

Rhea paled even more.  
" When he has tired of them, when he has raped them enough he sends them to... they say he sends them to Tartarus. "  
" Tar..." I could hardly utter the terrible word. "Why?"  
" Because it amuses him. And because he knows that when they once are there they can't get away and disturb him when he's busy with his latest desire. "

" And if... If there's children?"  
" He does something with them too. I don't know what and I don't know why, but he does something. Haven't you thought it strange that there's no offspring of his around, Amalthea?"  
" Rhea I - It's time! Good luck, for what it's worth. "

We hugged. The next morning I was dismissed from my duties and sent back to Crete. Rhea was going to get new chambermaids.


	3. Rhea's last child

_Thanks to Bluer Sky and Pennant for your encouraging words!_

**Rhea's last child**

It was just another rainy and gray day in November. Or so I thought. Waking up that morning to the water dripping and splashing upon the empty milk-cans and singing in the gutters outside the open window, I had no idea that this very day was going to be the one that changed my entire life.

As usual this time of year it was cold, so I started a fire in the hearth and laid and watched it for a quarter of an hour before getting up. A quarter is what it normally takes for Divine Fire to heat up my bedroom. However today it felt unusually damp and unwelcoming, the floor icy beneath my bare feet, so I increased the flames before preparing my humble but perfectly satisfying breakfast of bread, milk, cheese and dried fruit; the milk and cheese being from my own goats. I had taken up herding again after returning to Crete.

I had hardly sat down for my meal when somebody banged on the door downstairs.  
" Now what? " I asked myself. "They want to buy milk in this early hour? "

But I could tell by first glance that this immortal visitor with her queenly appearance was not a customer. And since I sensed no danger from her I opened up the door, letting her into my hallway. Rain was dripping from her hooded cloak and she was holding a bundle in her arms. Something moving. Something alive.

A slender, white hand pushed back her hood, displaying a familiar face. Familiar even after all these years.  
" Rhea! "  
" May I - exchange a few words with you, Amalthea? " Her deep voice as soft and mellow as in my memories.  
" Certainly! Come on up! Are you hungry, I can offer - "  
" Don't worry about me. Can you hold - "

Rhea handed me the bundle. It was an infant swept in a warm wollen blanket. A baby hardly a week old who slept soundly unbothered by the new arms holding him. Rhea took off her cloak and liberated herself of a backpack and some weapons.  
" Who's? "  
" He's mine. Six days old, I gave birth to him not far from here. I'm calling him Zeus. "  
" Zeus. I looked at the boy-child asleep in my arms. Delicate eyelids, button nose and tiny lips. Blond dust on the top of his head. Small fists. A sweet baby smell. So cute he was. So vulnerable. I so wanted to protect him from all evils in the world.

" Yes, means Fair Sky. Amalthea, I wonder if Zeus and I could stay with you - just for a few days, to regain my strength to return. "  
" Return where? "  
" To him. Before he comes looking for me. "  
" Your husb - "

" He's not my husband", Rhea almost snapped. "He never was. He took me and locked me up and raped me and never asked a word concerning my well-being. Never asked if I was - " her voice broke and she made a face before getting herself together and gathering her things.  
" I'm sorry Amalthea, it's just that I'm so shaky at the moment. So scared. Me and my poor little boy, we have nowhere in the entire world to go. You were the only one I could think of.  
" Of course you can stay. As long as you want. Come on up! And you sure need to eat, Rhea, if you're going to feed your son. "

It was decided that Rhea and Zeus would stay as long as needed in my humble place. I arranged another bedding for the lady, the one usually kept by my sister Adrasteia when she came visiting during the summer period when the goats had their calves. I also emptied a basket I used to keep bread in, and turned it into a baby bed for little Zeus.

And while Rhea ate and breast-fed her son she told about the events leading to her running away from the dark castle.  
" I've been Cronos' bride now for almost ten years. Ten years of endless abuse from his side, ten years of being locked up in the castle meeting only him - my captor and my silent maids. You know, he shrinks their tongues so they can't speak anymore. So they can't gossip or plot against him. That was why I sent you away, Amalthea. You were my friend, the only one I had, I didn't want anything like that to happen to you. "

" Must have been horrible. "  
" It sure was. Especially when he forgot me for days, left me tied up to the bedposts. The maids didn't dare to release me, they hardly dared to wash and feed me. Only relieve was when he went away on his campaigns chasing the Gods of the Mainlands. But there's hardly any more upstarts around, nor any revolutions. And I know my time is nearing, because he has found himself a new one. "

" A new girl? "  
" Yes. Philyra of Thessalia. Poor thing was brought to the castle some months ago. Haven't had her first bleeding yet, so she's still 'protected'. But any day soon. And then it's bye bye Rhea. "  
" But your child? Is Zeus his? "  
" Of course he is. I haven't been allowed to even be seen by another man for years and years now, being kept in my chambers. "

" But if you gave him a child wouldn't he keep you just as a mother to the boy? "  
" I've given him half a dozen already. They were all taken from me at birth. "  
" Where? "  
" He claims he keeps them somewhere 'safe'", Rhea sobbed. "But I actually believe they are dead, because they are nowhere to be found. Even I, their mother, can't sense their auras anymore. It's like he has eaten them alive. And I don't want that to happen to this little one. This very last one. That is why I want to ask you this big, big favour. "

" Certai... "  
" No, no, don't say yes until you've heard it! "  
" Then speak! No, I think I know, you want asylum here for you and the baby. "  
" No, only for my little boy. Only for Zeus. Will you keep him here? There are gods... There are still a few gods out there fighting Cronos. Gods who'd do anything to thwart the tyrants plans, even if it's only about saving the life of a little innocent boy. They'll help you, I'm sure! "

" Of course I'll do that, my friend. But - what are you going to do? "  
" Go back to him, have him sending me to Tartarus so he can remarry. He must not suspect a thing. "  
" Rhea! You can stay here! We can arrange something! "  
" No, he would be looking and he would find me, and then he would find Zeus too. And I don't want my son to get hurt. He's so tiny. So innocent. If it's the last thing I do in this realm, saving him would be a good deed. My only good deed in life. "

_Interlude_

On lover Manhattan there's a restaurant called Little Hellas. It's run by Ganymedes, the old cup-bearer of Olympos, and there's where you usually meet Chiron the Centaur, the one son of Cronos and Philyra. Well-disguised of course, the New Yorkers might be used to seeing a lot of strange fellows, but a half-horse would have them freaking out. Or maybe not, perhaps they would only think it being the latest Hollywood stunt and reach for their cameras.

But I bet Chiron don't want that scenario either. He's content if he can go to Little Hellas every evening and have his moussaka and chat with Gan and whatever other immortals who show up. You see, the rustic Little Hellas with is cozy and home-like atmosphere and great food has become a meeting place for deities of all kind. The Greeks come here of course, but also the Native Americans, like Hudson's brother Potomac, the rabbit-like Nanabozho and Shakuru the sun god, as well as those Aztecs who we call Kick and Tick because no-one can pronounciate their names.

This night is no exception, I soon spot the usual half a dozen immortals among the guests. Pan and the Norse Loki play pool in the corner and Dionysos hangs in the bar with Bast of Egypt and Amaterasu of Japan, entertaining them with yet another made-up story about his 'adventures' around the world. He loves to picture himself as some kind of Indiana Jones, but we all know that his main explorations lie within the world of liquid beverages.

Chir is sitting at his usual place together with his beloved, the Celtic horse-goddess Epona. I join them and tell Chir that I'm writing about his father.  
" Oh, don't remind me", Chiron sighs. "Of course he has softened up a bit over the millennia, but he better stays down there where Hades can keep an eye on him, even if Elysium is a far better place than the dungeons of Tartarus. Now, look, there's another troublemaker of the family! " Chiron points with his fork at the TV-set.

CBS News is on, showing a military hotshot with a lot of coloured stripes at his uniform, talking about the latest Middle Eastern development. R.S. Marshall, NATO HQ, the legend beneath the handsome man reads. That's what he calls himself these days, Ares the war god. If someone reminds me of Cronos, it's his grandson Ares, not the gentle and intelligent Centaur.

_Interlude ends_


	4. Rhea's tale

_Thanks to__Bluer Sky__, Pennant and __Brown-eyed snowy owl__ for your support!_  
**

* * *

Rhea's tale**

The next day Rhea told what had happened at the Castle of Cronos, how she had managed to get away, being pregnant and due to give birth any day:

¤¤¤

Cronos woke me up early in the morning, dressed for battle, and looking like the nightmare himself, from the blood-red crescent on his shining bronze helmet and down to his iron-studded boots. I rubbed sleep from my eyes, sitting up and showing attention and obedience, as I understood that he meant to address me. I didn't want him to hit me again. Not with those iron-gloves on.  
"Wife", he thundered, "I am off to beat down more of these so called Gods. They seem to breed like rabbits, and multiply like flies. But soon, soon all this is going to be over. I soon will have the perfect weapon. "

"To kill them all? Wipe them out? I asked, my voice sounding like ashes."  
"No, better than that. I am going to make them sterile. My master poison maker is working on a powerful brew. A virus to infect gods with. **Then** I'm going to wipe them out. Because then there isn't going to be any kids hidden somewhere. Kids to grow up and threaten me again. Then it will finally be over. No more lousy Gods. Just Titans. Titans obedient to me. I will succeed where Ouranos failed. I will be the greatest. "

Cronos clamped his fists, rose his big hands and threw back his head, roaring like a maniac:  
"Then I will rule - forever and ever! "

After the speech he turned on his heels and marched out of my chamber. Numbed I remained sitting in my bed while dawn was slowly breaking outside the window. I could hear the calls from the guards in the courtyard, and the growlings and screechings of the Dark Warriors. For a while the noise went on, then I heard them all bellow in unison as their master arrived. A bit more hubbub and they took off, darkening the sky with their huge wings.

Resting my hand on the belly I felt the baby move inside, stirring and kicking, like he had felt the rage of his father and the adrenaline rush of my fear. Not for my own sake, I had already accepted my fate, that it would be over any day. As soon as Philyra was bleeding, as soon as she was ready to become the new wife of the King. My fear concerned the Gods of the world. Were they finally going to perish? If so there was no hope left.

Then I felt a kick against my spine, harder than anything else I had ever felt. Almost like a scolding. Almost like my baby was telling me "stop being such a wimp! Get up and do something about it instead of sitting here whining".

But I was cuffed to the bed! Cronos hadn't released me before he left. Or - was I? No, I suddenly realised that my shackles were gone! How could -

I decided to not think more of it. Last evening he had cuffed me and had me all right. Both ways. I hardly cared anymore, these abuses had become so much of a routine I actually felt like they were happening to somebody else and that I was only watching from far, far away. But now something had made the shackles disappear, and that sure wasn't my master.

I rose, felt almost giddy, and as if someone was giving me orders I opened up my wardrobe, browsed through the dresses. No, there was nothing I could use. Silk and lace all of them, transparent and fragile stuff that showed more or less skin. The things Cronos liked me to wear.

Instead I opened his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of leather pants. I had to fold them up quite a bit, since he was so much taller than me. On the other hand my belly was too large, so used a waistband to hold them up. A knee-long silk tunic for my upper body and then a woollen ditto above the silk one. A hooded cloak, also in leather finished my outfit.

Then I gathered a miscellany of arms, a blanket, towels, a water-bottle, the left-overs from Cronos' breakfast, my own breakfast, a lantern for divine light and some more stuff and threw it all down in a backpack. All save for a heavy broadsword which I tied to my back. Not that I knew how to use it, but perhaps it could fool someone into believing I could.

Last thing I did was tying up my long hair to get it out of the way. Then one final look around the chambers - not to say goodbye, it was a relieve to leave - but to check if there might be something more useful to take with me. There weren't.

Thus I exited the Royal Chambers for the first time in years and years. I met two of the maids on my way out, and this time their silence worked to my advantage. They didn't dare to try to hold me and they couldn't call for alarm, they were just trying to run off, so I hit one of them so she fell to the floor and hit her head, becoming unconscious while red blood coloured the light-brown pine tiles. The other one I just slammed the door upon, using the same locking spell as I had heard my master use. I hardly thought it was going to work but it did!

I decided to not worry about more than the next step. Pondering a complete escape seemed almost overwhelming, but taking one step at a time felt more manageable. And so I found myself climbing down a spiralling case of narrow back-stairs, not knowing where the old and concave granite steps led me.

Halfway down in the dusky stairs I encountered a servant, but he didn't seem the least surprised to meet a petite warrior there. Or perhaps he was of the kind who didn't rise his voice in bemusement and thus stayed out of trouble. A behaviour I learned most servants in a cruel house soon adopted. Not drawing attention was a way to stay safe.

The stairs ended by a narrow door opening up at the backside of the castle, into a small courtyard I hadn't known existed. First I feared that I had reached a dead end, because there were only dark stone walls surrounding me. Then I could hear waves crashing against rocks, and I realised that on my right hand there was only a one-store wall. I climbed it, and sure, in front of me was the sea. Unruly under a cloudy sky, the early morning sun shining through here and there, painting medallions of glitter on the gray-green surface. Seagulls were calling out in the air.

Closing my eyes I jumped, my returning divine powers protecting me from harm while landing on the soaked, black rocks beneath me and skidding the last few meters down in the salty water. Then I began to swim, feeling my powers return more and more as the spell of the castle seized to work on me. Soon I found myself able to leave the wet element and take off in the sky, flying like a real goddess should.

I was back! I was divine again! I was free! I and my baby!

First I didn't know where I was going other than as far from Leviathan and my master's stronghold as I could think of. Then I started to make plans in my mind, started to think of where I could give birth to my baby. My first thoughts were with Cronos' old enemy Oceanos of the Great Western Sea, but I knew that I was not going to make it as far. Instead I racketed my brain until remembered the name of my old maid Amalthea's island. Crete.

Yes, that was where I should go. To the mountainous and sparsely populated big island just where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. I should seek Amalthea out and there give birth to my child. Then could I think of the next step.

But it didn't turn out exactly like that. I had hardly set foot on a rocky shore before I felt the water leave the womb. A familiar feeling in the spine. The baby wanted out.  
" Soon soon, little one", I told. "I'm just going to have to find a safe place. A cave perhaps. "

As if my mind triggered it, I saw an opening in the rock ahead of me. Feathers of eagles and down of their kids strewn the ground and I gathered it all, thinking it a good bed for my child. Then I entered the cave. It held stalactites and bent twice until I reached its back, where a tiny pool of still, cold water awaited me. The perfect place!

The contractions were becoming more prominent as I lighted Divine Light in my lantern, created some kind of nest with the help of the eagle down and the towels and then undressed. Not a minute too early, a little head was on its way out through my widening opening.

I pushed once, twice, trice an then... a scream of life! Entrance, fluids and an almost overwhelming feeling of a soul so strong that it was strange the whole world didn't tip on its axis and all the deities within miles came running to check it out. My baby! My little - I picked the child up - a boy. A little God!

It had been a familiar sensation giving birth but the rest was different. All of my other children had been taken away from me even before I got the chance to sense their souls, to sample their imprints, learn who they were. But this one - he reached out for me in spirit so fast and so strong that I could hardly gasp for breath.

In my arms he opened his eyes - they were as blue as a clear spring sky. My son was looking at me like he already understood everything - about who I was, my escape from his cruel father and the terrible state of the world he had been born into.  
"Zeus", I whispered. "Zeus, little one! I'm sorry to have brought you into this miserable world. But I guess - it was supposed to happen. At least you're getting a better start than your older siblings. At least I'm getting a chance to hold you. "

While the day passed on outside the cave and became afternoon then evening then nigh I cleaned my son and breast fed him, singing to him songs of my own childhood. And when he fell asleep in my arms an unexpected memory came back. The memory of Lanviari, an older goddess I had used to play with. She had shown me how to make man-like dolls out of stones. With the same temperature, texture and feeling as a real human.

" I cannot breath life into them", Lanviari had told me. "Only certain grown-ups can do that. But we can at least pretend that they are alive and play with them."

Stones looking like humans. We had made 'babies' for ourselves, and I remembered how to do it. A plan was starting to form in my mind...

¤¤¤

Three days later Rhea took off, bound for Leviathan and the cruel man she was married to. I had done everything I could to try to talk her out of it, try to convince her that the little village Dicte was safe for her as well. That no-one would bother looking for her here among the mountains and the goats. I told her it was too early stopping breast-feeding Zeus. She returned with that goat milk would do.  
" Just change the protein strands the way I showed you and it will be just as good as human milk", she told me.

"Rhea - I don't know how to take care of babies."  
"Do you think I know more then, just because I happened to give birth? No, I lost all the others. Now I want this one to live. I really, really, really want him to live. And he stands a better chance with me not around. Cronos knows my soul pattern, he will come looking for it, no matter where I hide. Then he'll find Zeus too. And that would be the end for us both. "

"I understand. Rhea, go in peace. I love you my friend, may the Faithes look well upon you. "  
"May the Faithes look well upon you too Amalthea, my only friend. "

For the last time Rhea lifted up little Zeus and held him close, close. She held him for such a long time that I was actually beginning to hope she was changing her mind. But then she handed him over to me, teary eyed.  
"Farewell my Zeus! You won't remember mummy but Amalthea will tell you how much I loved you."

Then she gathered her things, turned her back and went out in the falling dusk, took off in the blue twilight air as swift as an eagle. I lingered in the door-frame with the infant in my arms looking at her flying form until it disappeared among the purple clouds.  
"Farewell Rhea, I whispered to the winds. Farewell my friend."


	5. A prophecy

**A prophecy **

It wasn't the easiest task of course, taking care of a baby. It was true, I had no experience at all. I had been the youngest sibling (my parents divorced soon after I was born) and I had soon found my calling and started taking care of the goats. I did have some experience in kittens and puppies though, but they usually had their mother around anyway.

Now I had to be the mother. I had to feed this infant and clean him and find out why he was crying when he did that. I had to worry when he wouldn't go to sleep or when I thought he slept too much.

But eventually I got the hang of it. I found out that Zeus liked when I sang to him, and that he soon fell asleep when I carried him around. I was rewarded with gurgling laughers when I showed up at his bed, when I tickled him in the neck or put my mouth to his round little belly and blew hard, making a "farting" sound. Or just made funny faces and sounds.

Soon I learned to wear my hair pinned up to avoid having him yanking at the strands all the time with his strong little hands. Earrings also became out of the question, because he was constantly reaching for these too. He was crazy about all things glittery and shining.

I made toys for him out of wood and textiles and a "bear" out of a goat-hide. That one Zeus kept on dragging around everywhere until it was all worn out and beyond fixing. Another favourite toy was a golden ball which we could play with for hours, pushing it between us, first on the floor and later levitating in the air so it left shining traces after it just like a comet.

And he sure was a quick start. Before I knew it Zeus was sitting up, and then he was crawling away on all four, chasing my dog Maverick all over the place, trying to pull him in the tail. And old Mave, who's usually rather grumpy, somehow sensed that this was a "puppy" and was very patient with Zeus.

Within three months Zeus rose up and stood and the next thing I knew he was walking. Now here's when the real trouble started. He was everywhere - and I mean everywhere - with his little curious fingers, pushing and pulling and poking. And whenever I thought he was playing calmly with his golden ball and turned my back, he sure was on his feet with lightning speed and the next thing I usually heard was a crash and a loud scream.

Zeus loved to throw things in the hearth and setting them on fire, and he wasn't old when he learned how to get the flames out from there, almost managing to set the entire place on fire. Luckily I caught him in the act and he only managed to ruin a chair and a basket of splinter-woods.

Another thing Zeus did was emptying a large jug of tar and painting both himself and the floor back. Then he got the large pair of scissors and cut off half of Mave's fur while the dog was sleeping. On top of that he always found the sweets and the cookies, no matter where I tried to hide them. High places were no match for this boy either, he was soon levitating too.

Yet I had a hard time being mad at him, because always when I caught him he looked at me with those big, blue eyes and smiled, like "no prob' it's forgotten tomorrow and I know you love me anyway".

Zeus talked early too. These cooing and gurgling sound he had been making when I got him soon became words and sentences. And those sentences shortly turned into questions:  
"Thea, what's a coin? "  
"Thea, why do Mave and the goats walk with four legs?"  
"Thea, what are those big birds?"  
"Thea, why does it rain?"  
"Thea, what happens if you set water on fire?"  
"Thea, what's beyond those big, blue mountains?"  
"Thea, what's beyond the stars?"

My thoughts often went to Rhea. When Zeus had fallen asleep in the evenings I began to wonder what had become of her, where she was. If she had somehow managed to escape her cruel faith. I didn't dare trying to search for her soul in case it might draw attention from Cronos.

Then one night, there was a knock on the door. I became terrified, because I sensed an immortal soul outside, a Titan soul, and was convinced we had been found by Cronos and his men.

_Interlude_

At Little Hellas you usually get to meet one Olympian or another, who's stopping by on his or her way to somewhere. This night I had already said hello to Dionysos who was visiting a wine fair in New Jersey. Not much later another of the Great Twelve comes through the door. Artemis, aka Diana Archer, well known environmental lobbyist in Washington DC.

She looks sharp as usual, power dressed in pin-striped black, although her skirt is a bit shorter than the generic executive outfit, and her high heals rattles against the stone floor. People turn around upon her arrival, seeing in an instance that this is a woman who radiates the self-confidence of knowing her place in the world.

Artemis has always been a good friend of both Chiron and me, and she's soon at our table, full of energy as usual.  
"So Zeus is back at the Office again", I say after the regular greetings.  
"He certainly is", the goddess answers and pushes back her jet-black hair. "Feels strange, I was beginning to get used to having DC for myself when he has been off tinkering with the European Union. And I bet with him around there's going to be a lot of changes. He sure is going to shorten this president's leash a lot, and then when the election is up, he's going to pick the successor. "

"The vice president?" Chiron asks.  
"No, he's not one of daddy's boys. But let's not talk politics. I heard you have a new lover, Thea. What about him?"

I tell about Hudson and that this might mean I'll stay a bit longer in New York than I usually planned, telling Artemis that we can see each other more often. She delights at that but don't let the Hudson issue go.  
"Is he good?"

"He is. But also a bit childish. And a terrible taste in music. All hip-hop and rap. I try to put on some Mozart, he cringes. Some Debussy he makes faces, Strauss and he runs out of the flat. Am I too old for the music of today?"  
"Nah", Epona says, "it's only a matter of taste. Do you know who's _the_ biggest hip-hop fan? Who frequents all those Bronx clubs when he's in Appletown? Oceanos!"  
" Oceanos! Artemis and I exclaims at the same time. The Titan Oceanos?"  
" The very one", Epona's face is smug while she runs a hand inside Chiron's black T-shirt.

_Interlude ends_

The Titan Oceanos. He was the one standing on my doorstep that balmy May night, dressed only in an elegant but worn cloak over a chiton, blue hair tied back in a ponytail, a leather backpack slung over his left shoulder and a large bow and a silver-hilted sword on his back.

His appearance almost scared the whit out of me, I was so sure Oceanos was at Cronos side, so sure he was going to turn us in the very second he laid his large green eyes on little Zeus; and I was glad my boy was sound asleep upstairs, tired after having chased rabbits all day long.

"How... may I help you?" I started, and raged at the insecurity I heard in my voice.  
"Pose the question the other way around, Milady, and ask instead how I might be in your service! Yours as well as the new King."  
"What king?"  
"The one to become the King. "  
"Who's... ?"  
"Oh, come on, you know whom I'm talking about. Your little ward. Zeus I think you call him. "

I felt all my blood rush away from my face, turning it cinder pale.  
"What do you know about...? Who told you?"  
"Do not worry! I'm on your side. Trust me! Read my heart, it's pure! I am no friend of Cronos, on the very contrary. And Zeus is the one the prophecy tells about. The chosen one. The one to finally stop the tyranny of Cronos and Change the world. "

"What prophecy? Who told it? Some oracle? And if you know, won't all Titans soon know the same?"  
"Let me inside, Lady Amalthea, so I can begin to answer all your questions. And then I'll tell you some more you need to know about little Zeus. Because he's not just any young God. "  
"So much have I come to understand. But..."  
"Are you going to let me stand here on the doorstep all night?"

"Oh, sorry! Do come in!" I held up the door to the tall Titan, who had to bow his head to enter. I still felt reluctance, but at the same time I knew that if Oceanos had come to harm Zeus and me he would have done it the very moment he had sat foot in Dicte, not waiting to chit-chat.

¤¤¤

Oceanos put down his eating tools, reached for a his packing, pulled out a folded sheet of papyrus and started:  
" The prophecy reads thus:"

_Truly the end of the era of Bronze will come  
The limit will be marked by a Moon bearing blood  
Bronze will ring out when four of the Celestial Bodies stand in line  
Heralding the Greatest of Changes  
The era of Iron will begin when the white eagle spreads her wings  
Escaping the nest of darkness  
A New King will arrive, thunder in his hand  
Liberate he will the imprisoned ones  
The old King will be cast down  
To the bottomless pit of nevertime  
And when the Sun darkens  
the New King will claim his throne_

"We have already seen the Lunar Eclipse", Oceanos stated. "The Moon bearing blood. It vas visible in almost all of Central World four years ago. The White Eagle was Rhea, finally flying out of the Leviathan stronghold. You do know that she was originally meant to be an eagle goddess? Until Cronos caught her and used his mighty twarthing spells upon her she could transform herself into one of those birds. And the day she left the stronghold four of the planets stood in line. Our Earth and its Moon, the Morning Star and the Star of Red War. "  
"Yes, but what has this to do with Rhea's son? A King with thunder in his hand? Is that him?"  
"Zeus was born on that day, right?"

"Yes."  
"Then he's The One. Now you know how important it is that he stays safe. That his father never finds him."  
"But if he - if he joins with his father instead?"  
"He won't do that. The Astronomer has predicted a Solar Eclipse in 32 years from now. That's when Zeus will be taking his throne."

"With all due respect, Oceanos, but don't you contradict yourself here, saying first that we must protect Zeus from being found by Cronos, then telling me that the faith of Zeus has already been set, that he will be King no matter what?"  
" No, not really. This prophecy talks about a course of events that will happen in the future. It says nothing about when they are going to take place. It can as well be talking about events thousands and thousands of years from now. If we don't make them happen that is. "

"I'm not sure I understand."  
"Amalthea, if we want this prophecy to be about here and now we must set it into action. Or else the world will have to wait until another event with four planets standing in line as well as another Lunar and Solar eclipse. Until then Bronze will reign and the Iron age will be put on hold. And with it the hope for a better world for all of us."

" I see your point."  
" Good. I will put stronger protection spells around this place. Then I will send you some gods who will function as life guards and tutors for little Zeus. And you will have to send for your sister."  
" Adrasteia?"  
" Yes. Her help is going to be needed as well. "

" It sounds suddenly - so big. So important", I said and farsighted the sleeping Zeus in his room behind the closed door. He slept soundly as usual. Thumb in mouth and golden curls surrounding his cute little face.  
" It is, Amalthea, it is. It is probably the most important project in millennia. "  
" And Zeus is so - little. How will he cope with his destiny?"  
" Tell him at the right time! Tell him what he will have to do! He will cope. I know it. I can see by his aura that this boy is going to grow up to surprise the world. "

The Titan then stretched and yawned, but before I let him go to bed I just had to ask him one more thing:  
" Do you know what became of Rhea?"  
" She's down under."  
" In Tartarus?" I paled.  
" No, fortunately not. Cronos displayed some unusual mercy. Very unlike him, but he decided to keep her at a place called Hades. A dark and strange realm, but far from the horrible beyonds of Tartarus where even time is warped. Perhaps even the Titan King thought it was too cruel to throw Rhea down there after having annihilated - or thought he had annihilated her last child. "


	6. Adrasteia

**Adrasteia**

No matter how old you become - decades and decades, centuries, millennia, an older sister will always be an older sister. And older sisters are usually bossy. It comes with the territory so to speak. Now Adrasteia wanted to take control over the rising of Zeus. Only that Zeus would have nothing of it. The soon to be one year old was not going to abide by Addie's rules. He didn't want to go to bed when she told him, he didn't want to cut his hair and he did definitely not want to take a bath every evening.

With amusement I watched my sister trying to seize control over my little wild boy, running after him through the four rooms that were ours. My tall, raven-haired sister is fast and agile, but she had no chance when Zeus sneaked into places too narrow for her.

"You have been spoiling him Thea! He's not behaving. How is he going to lead armies when he can not take orders himself. "  
"Oh, come on, he's only 11 months! He has time enough to - "  
"Wrong, sister! If you start spoiling a child it will be almost impossible to get him right later. "

"I don't want to impose some harsh regime here! He's not going to be like his father. "  
"Thea! Bathing every night is not a "harsh regime". It's only natural hygiene. And by the way with that hair - "  
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zeus' hair, Addie! "  
"It's too long! There's too much of it!"  
"I think it's wonderful! "  
"He looks like a girlie. "  
"Who says? It's the Titan men who cut their hair. That doesn't mean Zeus will have to do it. "

Zeus turned one and we had a birthday party just the three of us. I made honeycakes with whipped cream since Zeus was crazy about these and then we sang that corny birthday song to him that still is being sung, even by mortals these days. Zeus laughed and said:  
"When I'm 64 I'm going to make my own cake. And when I'm 96 I'm going to make 3000 of them and then we're going to have a cake-fight. And all will leave the party with cream in their hair. "

"That's probably healthy anyway", Adrasteia said. "Going to work as a conditioner."  
"What's a condischenah?" Zeus wanted to know.

¤¤¤

A year later Oceanos came back visiting us. He bore news about the Kouretes and about Cronos. The first were good the others were bad.   
"The Kouretes have promised to join the Case. They believe they'll be here within a year. It's a dangerous trip, since they are far away from here at the moment. Far North at the shores of Hyperborea, and there's plenty of faithfuls to Cronos in between. So they will have to travel carefully. But they will be here. "  
"And the bad news?" Adrasteia asked.

"Cronos has seized control over yet another land, Lydia, disposing of all the Gods there. Including the mighty clan that was called The Hundred Handeds, because they were so plenty and fought in such a unison. Just like if they had been one single entity."  
"And yet they failed", I despaired. "How is our little Zeus going to - "  
"He will, trust me, he will. Just look at him now!"

At the words of Oceanos we all turned to look at our ward, who was building his own toys from old iron scrap, welding them together with white-hot Divine Fire and a lot of concentration.  
"If he's just about two and can do these things..." Oceanos started, but then there was a loud bang and a flash shoot out from the iron pipe Zeus had been tinkering with.

Scared the boy dropped his toy and jumped back, then he came running to me, crying. I took him in my arms as so many times before, held him close while he stopped crying. Red cheeks, a bit ashamed that he had cried in the presence of a guest who's magnificent powers and great importance Zeus sensed.

"What the Faithes was that spark?" Adrasteia exclaimed.  
"Electric current", Oceanos said. "A sparkle of static."  
"Did it come from the iron?" I asked.  
"I think it came from Zeus", the Sea Titan guessed.  
"It hurt!" Zeus stated sullenly, still holding on to me. "Bad light hurt!"

"You will have to learn to protect yourself from that, young man", Oceanos turned to Zeus. "It can be a powerful tool if you learn to control it. "  
"No, it hurt", Zeus insisted, looking at his pudgy little fingers.

_A New King will arrive, thunder in his hand_

_Interlude_

**-----Original Message-----  
From:** Adrasteia  
**Sent:** Friday, August 11, 2006 10:48 AM  
**To:** Amalthea  
**Subject:** When will U B in L.A.

Hi sis! We're beginning to wonder here, soon it's gonna be Antiope's birthday and ain't you gonna come for that one either? Gonna need someone who can pass for a supermodel for my latest movie project. Someone who makes Kate Moss looking like a sumo wrestler. Now get your stuff and hurry up here, you're gonna be glad you did when you see all the surfers. They're like yummmm! And hey, don't stop at that dork Hurricane's place on the way. He's not good for your health.

Keep in touch (a bit more often)  
Addie

**-----Original Message-----  
From:** Amalthea  
**Sent: **Friday, August 11, 2006 8:59 PM  
**To:** Adrasteia  
**Subject:** RE: When will U B in L.A.

Addie 4get it! I'm actually enjoying Appletown! You know I met this special someone :-D

/Thea

**-----Original Message-----  
From:** Adrasteia  
**Sent: **Saturday, August 12, 2006 11:23 AM  
**To:** Amalthea  
**Subject:** Who who who who???? (nt)

**-----Original Message-----  
From:** Amalthea  
**Sent: **Saturday, August 12, 2006 1:13 PM  
**To:** Adrasteia  
**Subject:** Rivergood  
Name's Hudson. You've met him.

**-----Original Message-----  
From:** Adrasteia  
**Sent: **Sunday, August 14, 2006 3:41 PM  
**To:** Amalthea  
**Subject:** RE: Rivergod  
Is he that one with the dreads? Then you're nuts! Come on over here pronto!

Hudson stands behind me, gently giving me massage with his strong, sensitive guitar-player's fingers.  
"Your sister again?"  
"How do you know?"  
"I can tell by the way you wrinkle your forehead. Don't make her bossing you around, Thea! By the way I like what you've been writing about Zeus so far. Better finish that instead of running off to Ellay playing moviestar. "  
"Are you going to boss me around too now, Hud?"  
"Guess I might do that. It'll be a nice for a change!"

"Am I too skinny? "  
"What?"  
"You heard me, Hud. Am I too skinny? "  
"You're perfect, Thea, you're beautiful. Those legs! Those lips like cherries and brows like Chinese swallows...  
"And no tits! Addie says Kate Moss looks like a sumo-wrestler beside me. That must mean I look like I'm just out of Auswitz. "  
"Aus - say what?"  
"Forget it! Do you want anything from the donut shop?"

That had always been my dilemma. No matter what I ate I never put on weight, I had always been the skinny one with arms and legs like sticks and ribs that showed. With no breasts to speak of. Until Twiggy became a super model half a century ago I had always detested that look. I'm still not used to the fact that it had become fashionable, I still think people are making fun of me when I get compliments for my body. Millennias of being homely don't wear off that easily.

_Interlude ends_

Oceanos stayed a little bit longer than intended, trying to have Zeus making another sparkle. But Zeus refused. Apparently he had been too scared by that event, and he had stopped welding together iron too. Instead he was bringing in sand from the courtyard, pouring it at the stones in front of the fireplace.

"Now, look what he's doing, messing up!"  
"I don't think so", Oceanos said but my sister wasn't listening, she went to get the dustpan. Next moment I heard Zeus yelling at her, so I looked up from my accounting.  
"Now what?"  
"He has dragged in sand", Adrasteia said.

"I'm doing a thing!" Zeus answered back.  
"Now we can't have - " Addie started but Oceanos silenced her:  
"I think Zeus intends to use that sand for something. Let's see what he's up to first!"  
"But..."  
"Wait!" Oceanos insisted, holding up a hand.

We all watched while Zeus was scooping up the sand in a heap and then heated it up until it turned red. Protecting his hands from the heat he picked up the molten sand, and rolled it into a ball. When he cooled it down it didn't resemble sand at all but had turned into a transparent, glittery material reminding of ice.  
"Look Thea! A ball!" Zeus said, holding it up for me.

It was the first glass object ever made by man.


	7. The Kouretes

_Thanks to Aurora Spirit, Bluer Sky, Brown-eyed snowy owl, Harayuku Girl, Cat in the web and Pennant for your encouraging words. And sorry for not updating in a while, life has been busy. But here's finally the next chapter._

**The Kouretes**

The Kouretes was a brotherhood of fire- and war gods who had sworn an oath to put the Titan regime to an end or die trying. They were eleven and their names were Pyrrhikhos, Idaios, Kyrbas, Prymneus, Mimas, Akmon, Damneus, Okythoos, Melisseus, Ôlenos and Haimonios.

Pyrrhikhos, whose name means War-Dance, was their leader, a big man with wild, red hair and beard, piercing steel-grey eyes beneath bsuhy brows and freckles all over his bulky, muscular body. He was war-clad and carried two swords and a round shield on his back, but had had manners enough to remove his awesome, winged helmet before banging on my door that freezing January morning with a smell of snow in the air.

Such was his appearance that I had thought the three year old Zeus, who went down to answer the door, would have been terrified. But my boy was intrigued instead.  
" Thea, Addi! " he called up the stairs, " They have come! The war-gods are here! Hurry! You gotta see them, they're simply that cool! "

" Zeus, Zeus", I answered and put away the dishes, " I don't think I have to hurry, they are not leaving, right? " I wiped my wet hands on a towel and asked Adrasteia to prepare refreshments for the arrivals.  
" Have them come in! And close the door!" I called to Zeus, as I felt the chilly wind snake itself around my legs. I quickly changed into a better dress, went down the stairs, and stopped dead at the appearance of Pyrrhikhos and his men who were crowding in my too small hallway.

They were savages! Pure and simple! I guess I had expected something like Cronos' well disciplined soldiers, but this all male band was nothing like that. Sure they were armed to their teeth and beyond, but they looked more like a rag-tag bandit gang than real militia; buff, bearded and hairy men and with grim, almost fearsome expressions on their weathered faces.

And Addi was shocked of course. She had real doubts with letting these men in, having them walking on her clean floors with muddy boots while they were installing themselves in the newly prepared quarters, and dumped huge and heavy leather sacks with mysterious containment everywhere. The week prior their arrival Adrasteia and I had caved out more of the mountain to make room for them, Zeus being a great help here. The little boy had fused away stone by the fathoms, and left the finer works to me and my sister.

And while the loud and foul-mouthed but heartily men moved in, Zeus was all over the place, mouth agape and big round eyes, while he looked at and fingered upon the Kouretes' arms, tools and other appliances. And none of them seemed to mind. Pyrrhikhos ruffled Zeus' blond curls instead, asking:  
" Is this the little Prince we're here for? "

" It sure is, Pyrr", another one called. His name was Mimas, and he was an impersonator, great at disguising himself as whatever he wanted." Just look at the lad's aura, it sparkles like the Aurora Borealis of Hyperborea. "  
" What's an Ororoboriliz and where's Iperborier? " Zeus asked immediately.  
" A curios one I take", Mimas pointed out.  
" Answer my question instead, longnose! " Zeus ordered.

I was quite taken aback, I had never heard such a sound of command in the voice of this little lad. Here he was talking to one of the fiercest warrior gods known, and he was sounding more like a general than an awed little boy. But the Kouretes didn't take offence.

" Aurora Borealis is a light-phenomena made by the goddess Aurora, living up north. And Hyperborea is her land, the land we are coming from. " The one answering was Akmon, a broad-shouldered, stout man with curly blond hair and round, blue eyes over a hawky nose.  
" I'm going to go there once", Zeus declared. "After taking care of the shit-head Cronos, that is."  
" That's a real God speaking", Pyrrhikhos exclaimed; and as strange it might sound, Zeus had already gained the respect of these hardened warriors.

_Interlude_

A few miles south of the city of München in Germany lies a large castle surrounded by a great property. Wealthy people can go there hunting for wild boars and deers. The castle is owned by a Pierre Claus, eccentric billionaire who has made his fortunes in silicon mining. When the computer boom started in the 80:ies this man bought almost all the silicon mines in the world and thus he mostly controls the market price of silicon.

Very few have seen him though, he usually deals trough subordinates. Still if they had, they would not believe their eyes; because this Pierre Claus doesn't look the way one would expect of a wealthy business-man, but more like a cross between a hippie and a participant in one of these World Wrestling shows. And if they'd meet him even fewer would believe him to be a nearly 5500 year old immortal named Pyrrhikhos.

Yes, these days he and his Kouretes are all located around the Bayern area in Germany, owning breweries and hotels or breeding race"horses and hound dogs. And when Zeus says he's going to go see 'his buddies', it's them he means, and these trips usually includes a lot of drinking, hunts, games and dirty jokes.  
" I guess he needs these, just like we need our 'all girls nights out'", Hera told me once while shopping in Paris.

I realise it has been a long time since I saw or even talked to any of the Kouretes. Perhaps I should mail them my scribblings, or at least the Kouretes chapter. Problem is they have never been great readers any of them and would probably just file it.

I put my feet on the table and idly browse through one of Hudson's athletic magazines. Another well known big man is on the front side. Hero K. Leslie, whom I know as Heracles, is being interviewed about his high-profile gym-chain _Twelve Labours _and the extensive philosophy behind it. Apparently it has become the new celeb thing, and the waiting list is being described as "long as the Sunset Boulevard itself".

_Interlude ends_

Already the same day the Kouretes started to model their new living-quarters. They were checking on and strengthening the protection-spells in the area and two of them, Idaios and Kyrbas, were preparing a training turf fit for all kinds of martial arts. Prymneus, who originally was a sailor, begun to build something he called showers by the waterfall on the western slope of the mountain.

Damneus and Akmon started to manufacture weapons and then more weapons and Okythoos went out on a trek to make maps over the area. All the time Zeus was everywhere taking interest and asking questions. I could tell by his body-language that this was one of the most exiting days in his young life. But he was still only a three-year old and at the end of the afternoon he was beginning to tire.

Damneus had placed a big double-axe against the wall, and Zeus had been looking at it for quite some time, admiring the shining iron and the elaborated woodwork in the handler. When dinner was over he went there again and this time he tried to move it, to lift it; but it was too heavy for his little arms (to be honest, it would have been too heavy for most grown-up mortal men) and he dropped it, hitting his foot.

The next moment he came running to me, crying. Not so much out of pain as out of shame over his weakness.  
" Zeusylove, it's okay!" I held him in my arms. "That's a grown-up mans weapon and you are still a little boy. You just have to be patient. In a few years I'm sure you are going to be able to not just lift an axe like that but also to swing it and attack the bad guys with it. "

" But look at me crying " He sobbed. "They're gonna think me a wimp! "  
" Who? The Kouretes? No! I think they were crying and weeping too when they were three years old. "  
" You think so?"  
" I'm certain."

" You bet", Pyrrhikhos was saying, looking up from the breast-plate he was polishing, sitting by the new, large meal table which Haimonios and Melisseus had manufactured just an hour ago. "I cried last year, being 518 years old. My old horse died and I was weeping like a baby over the animal. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of. They're a normal part of life. We cry when we get sad or hurt or simply when we get a cold wind in our eyes. And don't you worry about that axe. It's as Amalthea said, a grown-up mans weapon. Damneus'll make a little one for you with which you can start your training. "

" He will?" Zeus smiled through tears.  
" He sure does. And not only an axe. Swords, bows and arrows, stone-slingers, spears, javelins, throwing-daggers and a multitude of other things."  
" Cool!" Zeus was drying his tears.  
" And we're going to bring in horses too. You are going to learn to ride."  
" Way cool! When?"

" In time", Pyrrhikhos said. "Now little gentleman I guess it's bathing and bed-time for you."  
" No way! I never go to bed until -"  
" Perhaps not under the ladies regime. But you're going to be a warrior and that'll mean some changes in your life. Like rising before sunrise and long training-classes in the mornings and theory in the afternoons. And this will demand alertness in body as well as in mind."

" But - Thea - "  
" No 'but's now, Zeusy", I told him. " Do as Pyrrhikhos tells you, go ask Addie for your bath and then it's bed time."  
" You never told me I had to -"  
" Perhaps not, but I don't know that much of the warriors way. Yet from now on you are going to have to obey Pyrrhikhos if you're going to be a warrior. In fact we will all have to obey him here from now on. He is in charge because he knows what is in need to be done. "

" But it's your place", Zeus pointed out, still reluctant to obey.  
" Yes, but times are changing. Now it's time to prepare for war, and Pyrrhikhos knows more than me about these things, so it's only natural that he calls the rules. That's how it has to work. Every time needs its ruler and it's usually the one who knows most about important and relevant things who is best fit to rule. "

" Then I'm going to learn everything about all the things so I can rule all the time", Zeus stated, looking at me with an almost breathtaking intensity in his blue eyes. Once more I was taken aback by his determination and strength of soul. "And I will never eat carrots or spinach", he added almost as an afterthought.  
" Zeus, that's in the future. Now is now, so off to Addie, darling! "

This time Zeus ran off, calling for my sister.  
" An unusual child", Pyrrhikhos pointed out. " Very intelligent and strong in his heart. He sure is going to bend the world at his will and leave impressions, whatever he's The One as Oceanos believes or not. "  
" What do you think, Pyrrhikhos? Is he The One? "

" I believe he is, Amalthea. With that aura and this wisdom at such an early age he must be. Which means he will have to be threatened with a lot of love and common sense. Such a powerful soul can be dangerous risen in the wrong environment. Just look at Cronos! I'm glad Zeus has you, you are a very wise woman, Lady Amalthea. And, by the way, do call me Pyrr! "  
" If you call me Thea. "  
" Sure! "

¤¤¤

It would have been strange if it hadn't happened, that romance which started to sprout between me and Pyrr - over days it seemed. In spite of his awe-inspiring looks he sure was a gentleman. Not the poetry-writing or hand kissing type mind you, but I have never been attracted to that kind anyway. I prefer them when they are tickling me and whisper dirty words in my ears or get a necklace somewhere and then just hang it around my neck without further fuzz.

Pyrr was that kind of man. And before I knew it he had sneaked into my bedroom and then into my heart, and we started a relation which lasted until we had to part years later when the real war against Cronos started. Adrasteia on the other hand flirted both with Ôlenos and Kyrbas but never settled for any longer relation.


	8. Zeus grows up

**Zeus grows up**

Years passed by and Zeus grew from a boy to a lithe young man. His strong body became tanned by all the hours spent outdoors, he grew tall and muscular and he developed wit and cleverness as well as wisdom taught from a multitude of books brought in by Oceanos and later on by the Titan's daughter Metis. Metis, who was the one to become his first long-term girlfriend. But I'm running ahead of events here.

Especially the first years proved hard on Zeus, who was - I admit - rather spoiled by me and Addie. He was used to go to bed and to rise when he wanted, eat when he was hungry and play and slack all day long. But the Kouretes commenced another regime. Zeus had to rise at dawn every morning save for once a week, and he was taught that breakfast was the most important meal a day for a warrior.

First years were mostly about physical exercises: Zeus learned to swim and to fly, and to hide his immortal appearance among mortals. He learned to take other shapes than his natural one and he was practising strength, speed and reflexes.

Zeus was brought to the steep Blue Cliffs and learned to dive down in the green ocean and sent into the great caves of Ida, where the pale and intelligent Okythoos was teaching Zeus to find his way out relying on his sense of direction and sensitivity for Earth-magnetism. And Kyrbas trained him in telekinesis - the art of moving objects without touching them. Both practicing strength, by moving large boulders and fine-tuning, by navigating pebbles in intricate patterns.

Pyrrhikhos himself took care of teaching Zeus in how to deal with Divine Fire, both starting and putting out fires, using small, cold flames for light or hot and flat plasma circles for heating food. Pyrrhikhos taught Zeus about the dangers with Divine Fire, the need to handle it with care and the importance to keep it away from mortals, but also how to make flames in different shapes and colours. The Kourete leader might appear stern and grim but he couldn't help laughing when Zeus was showing off with juggling balls of fire in the air and creating burning stars, comets and roses, which shone in all colours against the night-sky.

The best part of the day, Zeus told me later, were the afternoons, when Melisseus told him "tales" - or rather the stories about the wars the Kouretes had been involved in. The idea was that Zeus was going to get a grip on how wars were fought, both from the common soldiers perspective and from the generals ditto.

At five real arms training started and at six he got his first horse and the terrain excursions became done on horseback instead of on foot. But if there was one skill Zeus never acquired it was the horseman's. And to be honest he hardly needed that. It was only when he went out disguised as a mortal he now and then mounted a horse.

Zeus was also taught how to use divine powers to protect himself from harm. There's the natural reflexes of course that trigger with imminent dangers like attacks, falling objects, fire and the likes. But the Kouretes held knowledge that went beyond that. Knowledge about how to "coat" the physical body in a protective "forcefield" making it shielded even before danger appeared. Later on Zeus developed this art even further, turning him invulnerable to things that normally harm even immortals. That art of self-defence became known as Aegis.

On top of all this Zeus was urged to develop that strange power over electricity he held. First he did it with reluctance, being scared of those sparks and the sound they were making. I understood him, it was terrible to behold those blinding flashes of light and feel the eardrums almost burst with the bangs. Not to mention the burnt reek that came with them.

At eleven another skill showed itself. Zeus could, by using concentration, alter the currents of the winds, gather clouds and dense the amount of water they held, until it started to rain. No-one had ever seen these kinds of powers with a god, so no-one knew how to train him. However at that age Zeus had learned enough self-discipline to train himself, and he was allowed one hour each day dedicated to this art, since everybody agreed that it would be very useful for strategic purposes to rule over the skies.

By the age of fourteen he could not only swing that heavy axe but also throw it a hundred yards, hitting a tree-trunk with it, angering some dryad who was disturbed in her midday slumber. By the way, there were a lot of dryads and other nymphs hanging around the training turf checking out Zeus, attracted by this handsome and powerful young god and the way he was working his body.

Nymphs has this quality that you don't spot them immediately. They hide behind trunks and among leaves and flowers and peak up now and then with smiling eyes and red cheeks, and can make the chastiest of men become totally crazy with lust when they giggle and titter. Young Zeus was no exception, far from it. Intrigued by these girls, he began to loose concentration. The tall and wiry Idaios, Zeus' trainer with the axe, scolded him one night:

" Stop paying attention to them, Zeus! I know how it can itch between a young man's groins upon the sight of a lady. But it's not the time for these kind of delights now. You'll have to wait. Duty first. "  
" Then what?" Zeus answered. "When will it ever end this duty, duty, duty? "  
" It might end sooner than you know if Cronos finds out that we are gathered here and what we are doing. We must be prepared that it can happen."

The Kourete began to carve up cheese from one of the glass plates on the table. Everyone was still amazed by this shiny material and the things Zeus made out of almost nothing but sand. Now and then they broke, but Zeus could make another one in minutes. Zeus took a plate of his own and started to make a sandwich of bread, cheese and ripe tomatoes.

" If he comes here, I'm gonna zap him!" the young god stated, biting into his meal.  
" It's not going to be that easy. Far from it. Cronos is a mighty man. He's strong and he's clever. And most of all fast. You might not even get a chance to 'zap' him", Idaios told.  
" We'll see about that", Zeus replied and held out his hand, fizzing and sparkling electricity dancing around the lower arm. But Idaios was not impressed.  
" Stop that!" he told. "You might be able to awe some nymphs with such stunts. But not me. "

" Idaios! Zeus!" Pyrrhikhos sat down next to the tired-looking Kourete opposite Zeus. "End this pointless discussion! Comes weekend you can pick one of those nymphs and have fun, Zeus. And so should you Idaios, there's so much restless energy within you that needs to be let out somewhere. But before that - Zeus, you should concentrate on nothing but your training. And do as Idaios tells you. "

Zeus hummed with acceptance, and pulled out the leather-thongs that had tied up his whitish-blond hair. It came cascading down his neck and shoulders, and those eagle-feathers he had wore in it fell out. That hair sure was amazing. Add to it those glittering blue eyes and a perfect body and it was no surprise that the nymphs were gathering around the area, hoping for a chance with my ward.

" I'm going for a shower, need to wash my hair", Zeus said to no-one and everyone, picked up his feathers, and with long strides he left the room. I could hear him swear loudly and kick at an empty milk-can downstairs before the entrance door slammed shut behind him.  
" This is not right", I told the men. "Zeus is full of the kind of energy that don't fade with physical exercise. He needs some time off, perhaps going to the sea or developing some art. "

"It's only puberty", Pyrr answered. "He needs to bed a girl, that's what he needs. Or a couple of girls. If he can have some fun with those nymphs it's going to fade. And, by the way, he needs to control these urges too. Focus-training is as important for a warrior as arms-training. To learn to sort out distractions and concentrate upon what's really important. "

" Bla bla bla", Adrasteia scorned later. "Men are so one-track minded sometimes. By the way, Oceanos called, he and Metis are on their way here."  
"So soon!" I exclaimed. "This must mean that something has happened. Something bad. Or at least worrisome."  
"Relax sister! We're still safe here. We're also out of honey, by the way."  
"Well then, tomorrow I'll go down to Melissa the bee-nymph and get some more."

¤¤¤

It wasn't as terrible as I had feared. The usual pockets of resistance were still out there giving Cronos trouble and the bad news were more personally related. After Philyra Cronos had married a girl named Epione and now he had apparently tired of her too, because he had kidnapped a youth called Laothea, who was a niece of Oceanos' wife Thetys.  
"And Thetys wants me to go after her, to stick my head into the snake's nest."  
"It's too dangerous, you're too valuable", I told the Titan. "You're of his kind all right, but you're our best ally. And before Zeus grows up..."

"I've seen him", Oceanos said. "He's beginning to become really good. Much earlier than I anticipated too! It's only a matter of time now until he can become a real actor in the game."  
"It's yet to early!"  
"I know. I'm here to teach him a few more things. I'm staying a month. And Metis will help me. It will be a part of her tutor-training too, so I'm killing two birds with one stone. "

The 18 year old Metis did help. But not with what we had expected. Already the third day of Oceanos' and Metis' stay Zeus ran in among the pines with Oceanos' tall and strawberry-blond daughter. And it wasn't hard to guess what they did there. They could as well have carried boards telling "we're doing it" because both of them became red as a tomato when someone mentioned the other one. Nevertheless I could see that it benefited the young god. Pyrr had been right, it was this kind of release my boy needed. He was even able to stand the good-natured banter the Kouretes were giving him about Metis.

_Interlude_

The mortals are still telling this strange story about Zeus devouring Metis and giving birth to their daughter Athena from his forehead. To be honest I don't know how that started. Some blame that bard Homer others mention weird cult aspects, but I think the whole idea was spawned by some jokes flying around among immortals immediately after that Zeus had seized power.

First joke was about Zeus and Metis kissing like they wanted to eat each other alive and second was Athena getting the nick "Zeus' headache" because she was constantly getting in trouble as a young woman. Add to that the fact that Metis disappeared soon after Athena's birth, almost like she had been "eaten alive". But the reason for her absence was Zeus cheating on her with the goddess Themis. Metis, feeling insulted and hurt, withdrew to the lush area of Lake Tritonis in northern Africa with her daughter. And there she stayed, while Athena returned to her fathers house some years later - "fully grown and clad in arms" as the mortals described it.

On top of everything she doesn't call herself Metis these days, but Inora. The reason for that has something to do with a later spouse. And she's still some kind of a recluse, a mystery lady living on her island in the Pacific and seldom receiving guests, not many knowing that she's identical with the titanesse once called Metis.

" But she's not crazy", I can hear Athena defending her mother. Athena isn't a frequent guest at the Little Hellas, since she's not often at this side of the Atlantic. But tonight she's here, this tall, blond and regal-looking amazon, and apparently someone was bringing up Metis/Inora's unwillingness to come to the solstice gatherings when most of the immortals of the world get together at Olympos.

" She simply don't like crowds", Athena goes on. "She don't like big parties and pointless chit-chat. Or having to dress up and abide to etiquette. She prefers sitting at home by the fire reading. And if you have a problem with that I suggest you keep it to yourself. "  
" Calm down, Athena, I didn't... "  
" Calm down nothing, Agoros!" Athena answers the chubby man who's the God of Gatherings. "You want all to mingle and jingle and enjoy themselves. Fine! Most do that. But not all. Do respect those who don't!"

They argue bit more, Agoros and Zeus' hot-tempered daughter; then Athena shrugs and comes over and sits by me and Hudson instead.  
" Geee! Agoros wants the whole planet to be like one big Woodstock '69! Where you're crawling around in mud and drink cheap beer in plastic cups. Then he fails to see that it's not everybody's cup of nectar. That some prefer smaller parties. Or even their own company. Stupid brat! Anyway - Artemis told me you're writing about father's youth. Can I see it?"  
" Sure, I don't have it here though. But I can mail it. Just let me know where!"

Athena hands over a business-card:  
" Here! I really want to read it. I've been at Dad for centuries about him writing some kind of early-life memoirs, but he hasn't got the time he says. So when I heard about your writings I was intrigued. There's so much about these years I don't know about."  
" I hope I'll live up to your expectations with my story."  
" I bet you can, Thea."

I read out loud from the business card:  
" 'Akiko Minowara' ", so you're still in Japan. Guess you like it there."  
" I like Futsu-Nushi-no-Kami", Athena blushes. "He's as shy as I when it comes to love and passion. So I guess we fit each other. "

_Interlude ends_

Oceanos spent quite some time with Zeus. He learned the teenager how to meditate. To empty his mind of all irrelevant thoughts and concentrate on one single thing. To focus on every aspect of something as seemingly simple as a spoon.

" What for?" Zeus questioned.  
" Because there might come times in life when you need to bend the will of a matter unwilling to be bent. Or finding the answer to a question where everybody else have failed to find it. There might come times when yours and a lot of other people's benefit rely on your ability to do the seemingly impossible. This will require of you to be able to go even beyond concentration. To acquire the impression of the item. The flow. "

It sounded like nonsense first, but after a while it clicked with both Zeus and me. Empty your mind of everything but the very item, the very question you were pondering. I never became good at it, and Zeus might've seemed far too tempered for this kind of skill, but soon enough he learned it.

Then there was quite a fight when Oceanos and Metis were leaving. This time it was Metis who was upset. She wanted to stay with Zeus, her father insisting on her coming back west with him.  
" I'm a grown-up woman, I decide for myself!" Metis insisted, emerald eyes flashing with anger.  
" But Zeus is not a grown-up man, he's still too young for a long-term relation."

" What do you know about that, dad? He's mature, he's... "  
" He's not fully educated in what he'll need to know to be able to conquer and dispose of Cronos. And he can't do that as fast and as well if you're going to be around distracting him."  
" Distracting? With all due respect father, I am not distracting him. I love him and I'm helping him. "  
" I know you love him, Metis. But his importance lies beyond love and friendship. He is the very hope for our race. He must become what he and only he can become. The One - the God of Thunder. "

" Then let me stay! Let me help him become that, father!"  
" No, Metis. Trust me in this. This must be done the way I see is necessary. The day Cronos is disposed of, you two can be together again. "

After some rounds of similar exchanges of words Metis had yielded and obeyed her father's order. She and Zeus had said a tearful farewell, and something in Zeus' eyes told me that he had matured years and years after that goodbye. He had come to understand that plays has its time and business its.


	9. A sword of adamantine

**A sword of adamantine**

My little boy wasn't so small anymore. The two years to come he grew even more, and was soon towering almost two heads above me, getting even more muscular and broad over the shoulders and chest, hands big as shovels. It felt rather strange while hugging Zeus good night in the evenings, that this was the very little boy who I had been carrying around 16 years ago, or had had sitting in my lap. Now it felt almost the other way around.

He had his years of puberty clashes all right, when everything appeared awful to him and when he was fighting with me and Addie or with the Kouretes about things that might seem minor. But on the other side of these years a good-natured and kind, although hot-tempered young man emerged. A man who had understood and accepted his destiny in life, and regarded it as a fact to deal with.

" If I don't beat Cronos", he told me one early morning, when helping me with a goat who was having a kid, "I can at least try to do him as much harm as possible; so that others, who come after me, can finish the job. "  
" You're going to make it, Zeus", I replied. "There's no-one like you."  
" Your second statement does not necessarily prove your first, Thea."  
" Honey, you're starting to sound more and more like Metis. "  
" I love her."  
" I know. She's a fine young lady. "

" When I'm done with the Cronos part of my life I'm going to marry her. "  
" I'm sure you two will be happy. For quite a while."  
" What do you mean 'while'?"  
" That we are immortal, you, I and her. We will go on living, and eventually we might grow out of each other. You'll change, and so will she. And perhaps one morning you are looking at each other, realising that it's over and you both want to go further in life."  
" Never", Zeus stated. "I'm never going to leave Metis. We are one. We will overcome whatever lies in front of us. That's a promise I think she deserves from me. "

" But what if she becomes the one who want to leave? Are you going to let her go then?"  
" Ah -" Zeus seemed to hesitate, like that very thought hadn't crossed his mind. He turned to look out over the ocean, where green, unruly waves crashed against the rocks, sending up cascades of white foam. His brows went wrinkled as he lost himself in thoughts.

" Thea", he said after a while, "what experiences do you have of these kinds of relations?"  
" Very few I must admit. You know, I came to the castle of Cronos being only twelve. At that time in life boys are just some strange and annoying creatures. Then I came here and had a few shorter adventures before you came into my life, and with you Pyrr and all the other Kouretes. But there were too many important things for me to do. Love never really got the chance to be on the agenda. "

" Poor you." Zeus turned again and took my hand. "When I'm gone, you'll have your life back again."  
" I have my life, Zeus. I couldn't have wished for a better way to spend those years. Watching you growing up and becoming a fine young man has been a wonderful experience. "

¤¤¤

The same evening Damneus came and showed us a long-sword of a strange, blue metal that seemed to glow in the dark with a shine of lethal strength.  
" Zeus", he said. "This blade is forged by adamantine. It's a rare metal with special qualities. It has the power, governed right, to harm even immortals severely. Used right and with special concentration an immortal can maim the enemy, give him or her wounds that will be of the hard-healing kind. "

Zeus looked at the blade with excitement in his eyes when Damneus handed it over to him.  
" Tomorrow your training with this sword will start. Remember, this is not like other blades. Its use must be combined with special mental powers to reach its fullest potential. It's a different martial art fighting with adamantine. An art almost lost, forgotten since the material is so rare and there are very few adamantine blades left."  
" What can it do?"  
" As I said - wound severely, it was an adamantine blade Cronos used to castrate Ouranos, his precursor. "

" Can it - kill?"  
" Not an immortal. You know how it works, Zeus!"  
" Yes I know, immortals can't be killed, because the soul can not be untied from the body, if the body gets harmed it will only heal and renew itself. We can reach the realms of dead souls and beyond, but we can always go back. We, who hold death and life in our hands - et cetera et cetera blablabla. I've heard it enough times. "

" But it's important", I said. "It's what differs us from the mortals. "  
" That, and our knowledge about a lot of things they don't have", Zeus replied. "I think we should share some of all this. It can't be right that we know how to transcend the skies while they toil in the dirt. "  
" It might me dangerous", Pyrrhikhos said. "They are simple-minded and mostly egoistic. Our knowledge in the wrong hands might -"

" Are we much better?" Zeus returned. "Look at Cronos! Isn't divine knowledge dangerous in his hands? He, who have killed millions, and locked thousands of our kind up in Tartarus? What harm can a mortal do compared to him and his deed?"  
" His time will come, Zeus", Pyrrhikhos said. "And with you and that sword in your hand - "

Zeus suddenly turned and threw the sword upon the meal table.  
" I refuse to be your tool!" Then he left the room, slamming the door so it came off its hinges for what time in order I had no idea.

_Interlude_

" There's no ores of adamantine left", Hephestos tells. "Every finding has been mined out a long long time ago. The mortals do not even know this matter exists."  
" But how come it's so dangerous?" Hudson asks the Olympian, regarding his own reflection in the blue knife-blade.  
" It's because of its dense atomic structure. And the way the electrons are tied to each other. Immortal control of matter can have adamantine cutting through everything save for an Aegis. "

Hephestos turns pages in the newspaper until he comes upon a large commercial with a lot of empty, white space on the sheet. He picks up a ball pen and starts to draw atomic models on the paper.  
" What do you remember from your physics classes? he asks the younger god. "  
" Nada."  
" You took Spanish instead, I hear", the Olympian jokes. "Anyhow, this is electrons, this is neutrons and this is protons. Now look how they are arranged!"

I rise. I have never liked physics either. It's for geeks like Hephestos, even if he works mostly with computers these days; living in Silicon Valley known as Heinz Vulcan and associating with people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Instead I walk over and talk with Heph's little sister Hebe who sits alone in a corner with a vodka-smoothie and her laptop. Not many people know it, but she is actually the one behind this 'Goddess Diaries' blog. I didn't know until just a couple of months ago, when I "caught her in the act". Before that I could have sworn that the moniker "Zeusdaughter" was really one of the muses.

_Interlude ends_

I found Zeus beneath the grand old oak at the end of the martial-arts turf. His usual place when he was sad.  
" Zeusy", I rounded the tree and kneeled in front of him.  
" He's my father." My boy refused to meet my eyes, he was sitting with his head bowed, twinning a strand of grass between his large fingers, long hair weiling his face. At that very moment it hit me how very much he reminded me of Rhea.

" Yes, that is true, I told. Nonetheless - "  
" He's the cruellest man existing, and still - he is my father. I'm of his blood. How can anyone expect me to stop him, or even harm him? I should -"  
" He held no love for you, honey. Cronos never cared for any of his children. You know what he did to them and what he would have done to you hadn't your mother saved you. You are like her. Remember that. Do always remember that! And that you with your strength and unusual powers are our only hope. "

" Thea, I'm not sure I'll be able to live up to that. What if I instead end up joining him? What if he is able to convince me to unite with him instead?"  
" You're not that week in soul, Zeus. "  
" But if he pleas to my blood?"  
" It has no relevance. He was the one who cut off these bounds. He has no right to claim you, Zeus. I know your soul is in conflict. It's always hard to turn on our blood no matter how much harm the people of it have done to us. We still want to love them, it's in our nature. "

" Then why did he do these things to my sisters and brothers? And to my mother?"  
" Because he was scared. Scared that there should be one as powerful as him and lusting for power. Zeus, it's your sisters and brothers you owe. They are your blood too. It's for their sake you must stop Cronos. If you just listen to your heart you'll hear that call of truth. "

Zeus sat quiet for a while. Then he rose, let go of my hand which he had been squeezing.  
" That's true. That I do! I'm going to take up that blade and continue down my path of destiny. I owe mother that. And all my sisters and brothers who's names I don't even know. "

¤¤¤

The next day Zeus begun his training with the adamantine blade like this pang of doubt had never happened. He was like that a lot of time during those teenage years. Ups and downs, doubts and trust, rage and joy. Oceanos' meditation classes helped a bit and so did Metis' presence. But she had her own life, couldn't come here as often, and besides, travelling had become more dangerous than ever these years. It was as if Cronos sensed that there was a growing, clandestine resistance out there again.

However, when Zeus reached seventeen he had already become a master-class adamantine fighter, having wounded several of the Kouretes in a lot of places.  
" Necessary", Kyrbas only answered, when I helped him healing his wounded right arm and hip. "Necessary if the lad is about to learn and be able to take on Cronos. "

I regarded Zeus out on the turf, he was now fighting Prymneus, and he sure was fast. My immortal eyes could hardly follow his movements, and for a mortal he must have been almost invisible, only resembling a whirling mist.  
" He's so swift", I said to myself. Kyrbas answered:  
" He sure is. Boy is incredible! Never seen anything like it. "

I turned, looking at the man with the shaved head. It was not often the Kouretes were offering praises, even if I knew that they had been regarding Zeus with a lot more respect during this last year.  
" Only a matter of time now before he can become what he's meant to be, to do what he's destined for. Whatever happens, nothing will remain the same where Zeus threads. He's the Great Changer. We will follow him to the end. To victory or defeat. Zeus will never stop. And we'll go with him. I guess that's what we were meant to do all the time. Not only Zeus has a destiny. We have one too. "

While toying with a lock of my hair I was watching my ward. It struck me while listening to the normally so taciturn man, that this time was nearing its end. The years with Zeus. And with these Kouretes. Those years, which had seemed like an endless row of moments, were almost over. It was inevitable of course, but I hadn't really realised it until now. That my Zeus was leaving me, going out in the world to do what he was meant to do. That he was no little boy anymore, he was a grown-up man and with a heavy responsibility resting upon his shoulders.

I was having flashbacks, remembering the first time I had held Zeus, his first steps, his curiosity, his achievements and mistakes and his witty comments. Although I knew it had to end I wanted to deny that ending, to pretend that it would always be like this. With Zeus around me as well as his band of teachers. And my sister Adrasteia of course.

When Zeus came in that evening he looked tired but content. Prymneus was trailing him, looking a bit ashamed.  
" You let him beat you again", Pyrrhikhos said.  
" What do you mean, 'let him?'" the dark-skinned man answered. "You know as well as I that none of us can match this young man anymore. He's better than any of us. Even better than you, Pyrr."  
" You're right, there's nothing we can teach him anymore", Pyrrhikhos said. "It's time for the next step."

"And that is?" Zeus asked.  
" Actual preparation", Pyrrhikhos told.  
" For war?"  
" For war. Are you ready, young man? Ready to lead us?"  
" I am", Zeus replied. "I know what it takes and I know what it's going to mean. And I am ready. "

"Good!" Pyrrhikhos exclaimed. "Tomorrow we are going to talk about getting in touch with the other resistance movements. Gathering an army. An army of gods. Your army, Zeus."


	10. Farewell

_Thanks for all the support I've been getting while writing this, and sorry for not updating in such a long time, but I've been having writers-block + a constant lack of time. Now enjoy this chapter! And don't hesitate in bringing me feedback on it as well, you know have had found them very useful earlier._

**

* * *

Farewell **

It was raining hard that mid-October morning when Zeus left with the Kouretes and some handfuls of other gods and goddesses of war who had been gathering here before the take-off. More deities were waiting in hiding in other places.

The sun had not yet risen, Divine Light cast spooky glows and shadows over the assembled fighters. Arms of iron and bronze were gleaming and the few adamantine weapons were shining with their own eerie blue light, reflecting off the carriers shields and breast-plates. They sure looked lethal and dreadful those divinities, lusting for the clash of armour, for blood and death, and upon beholding them I shivered slightly, even if I knew that they were "our guys".

So much had happened these months. So many new faces had turned up with news from around the world. This was the first time I met Gods from the Ethiopian and Asian continents. Strong and fierce gods with burning eyes who wanted nothing but siding with Zeus against the Titan tyrant.

I had had my doubts first when seeing these gods. Doubts that they would obey such a young man; some of them were several hundred years old, why should they take orders from an 18 year old? Yet Zeus' charisma worked on them too.

They might be powerful one by one, but they lacked the leader-skills that could be found in a god like Pyrrhikhos, so they had not been able to gather followers, instead they had fought like one-man armies. And now, upon beholding Zeus, they all knew that this was the man who would finally be able to unite the Gods of the world against the Titans. One by one they had put down their exotic weapons by Zeus' feet, swearing to follow him to the bitter end.

Zeus had accepted their wows and started to form an army out of these new arrivals. He had run tests on them, seeing where their skills and traits laid, and where they could be of best use. There were some he made officers, others who became front soldiers, and yet another group who he sent undercover as spies. The latter were skilled shapechangers with the ability to hide and blend in everywhere.

One of the people ending up in Zeus' inner circle was of course his beloved Metis. Another one was a stunning beauty named Themis. And she had a way of looking at Zeus that made me certain she was going to try to take him from Metis.

Oceanos' daughter didn't seem to be aware of the danger, she was all occupied with the upcoming war. With managing logistics and planning campaigns.  
" Shall I talk to her, you think?" I asked Adrasteia.  
"About Themis? I don't know." My sister, who had been peeling apples for pies, put down her knife and looked at me.

" On one hand", she said, "Metis needs to know. She's only 22. Too young to know all the tricks and twists older women can set about if they want to steal a man from someone. On the other hand - these deities are preparing to go to war, they need to concentrate on that now. They can't afford intrigues and love-games. I think I have a better idea. "  
" What?"

" Talk to Zeus! Tell him that Themis wants him. Most probably he already knows, but do advise him to stick to Metis. If nothing else so for the sake of keeping the head of the army together. Warn him that fuzzing with this amazon might get him in trouble and taint the leadership of the Divine army. That must not happen. Do also ask one of the Kouretes to keep an eye on Themis. I think Melisseus is the best man for that. He might even be able to distract her. "

_Interlude_

Themis did disrupt the relation between Metis and Zeus, but not until the war was over. The Themis-Zeus thing didn't last long though, Themis left Zeus when Zeus cheated on her in turn. These days she lives in India with a local god while her daughters Dike, Eumonia and Eirene are travelling around the world, involving themselves in peace-keeping and law-upholding projects.

I haven't seen any of them in a long time, when Dike, goddess of justice, suddenly steps over the threshold of Little Hellas. Her jet-black hair is cut in a short page and her hazel eyes are shining when she comes striding up to the round table where a handful of deities are gathered, grabbing an empty chair on the move.

She's wearing pink leather, carrying a motorcycle helmet in the same colour and I'm ready to bet my penthouse flat that the Harley Davidson she has parked outside is pink as well.

"Apollo", she says after the mandatory greetings. "I wanna know the whereabouts of Apollo. Anyone?"  
"Always straight on point", answers Hermes while filling up Ishtar's glass of wine.  
"Yeah, or else you ain't getting anything done. Know anything about our bro', Hermes?"

" Has been a while", the God of Heralds and Tradesmen admits. "I helped him with selling some investments a while ago. At that time he was using the name Felix Paolo, working with that Eurovision Song Contest happening in old Athens. He needed money for saving one of his record companies. "  
" Are they all bankrupting these days?" Ishtar asks.  
"Yeah, people don't buy records anymore. Not while they can download everything for free", Hermes points out.

"I don't think that's right!" The goddess Innana, sitting next to me, says. "If the artists don't make any money, how are they going to..."  
" It's not the artists who loose the big buck", Hudson returns, "it's the greedy bigshots at the record companies."

" Apollo", Dike insists, while the others start the download debate all over again, saying what has already been said a million times before.  
" Yes, Apollo", Hermes says. "I have two mail addresses that might work. felix.paolo AT goldenarrowrecords.uk and a.polonius AT bigbangevents. com And there's a UK cellphone number too, wait a moment!"

While Dike tries the addresses on her laptop, Hermes pulls out his own notebook and starts to browse through one of the biggest address folders I have ever seen. And when Dike tells that a.polonius AT bigbangevents. com is bouncing, she gets three more mail-addresses and several phone numbers.

" You know all these people?" I ask Hermes.  
" Know and know, most of them are mortals, how can you learn to know somebody in less than a hundred years? They're mostly business relations. And a few for pleassures. "

" It is in fact the download thing I want to discuss with him", Dike tells. "We can't go on like this. I'm the goddess of justice and I'm seeing the law being broken in several countries. And while the record companies rely on copy protection programs people loose their respect in the law. This has to change, that's why I want to talk to Apollo."  
" But the legal download chains? iTunes and the likes?" Hermes asks.  
" They're not enough", Dike says. "They came too late, when mortals had already learned that music and later movies were out there for free. "

Then we're at it again, and when immortals starts to argue a lot of heads are turned in the restaurant. After a while Ganymedes has to come over and tell us to calm down a bit, because we are annoying his other guests. A perfectly normal evening at Little Hellas in other words.

_Interlude ends _

Zeus held me hard one last time while the others were gathering their arms and tools around him.  
" Goodbye for a while, Thea-darling. I have no idea how long this will take, but when it's over we'll see each other again, and you'll have to make more honey-cakes for me."  
"You have your whole backpack full of them, Zeusy."  
" I know. But they're only going to last a week."

" Be careful, Zeus! I love you. You were my little boy who has grown up to be the greatest young god. Good luck and trust your instincts. And take care of Metis. "  
" I sure will. Thea - one more thing!"  
" Yes?"  
" If I send someone here, my mother or a sister or brother - will you take care of that one like you did for me? Because it might be that this person is too weak to battle and he or she will be needing a safe and comfortable home. And since I have placed an Aegis around this place it will be completely beyond the reach of Cronos or any other Titan. "

" I certainly will do that, Zeus. I'll do everything for you. "  
" Thank you, Thea. In return - when I some day get my own home you will always be welcome there."  
" This will always be your home, Zeus. "

" We have to get going!" Themis urged from behind Zeus.  
" I know! "

One last squeeze with those strong arms and then he let go. He took up his backpack and handed it over to the godlet carrying it for him and then he hung his swords on his back and took up the man-sized labryx-axe.  
" Sisters and Brothers in arms!" Zeus called out. "We're off for whatever destiny waiting. Metis, Themis, Helios, Selene! You fly with me up front! Nike, Bia, Kratos, Zelos, you take up the rear! Kotos, Briareus, Gyges - right flank, Thelxinoe, Aiode, Arkhe, Melete - left flank! All the others in between according to plan. And may the Fates be with you all as we're embarking this Vehicle of Change! "

Then they were off in the air, and while they disappeared among the clouds of the overcast sky I felt my eyes blur. I was crying for the first time in I don't know how long. Adrasteia was crying too, and we hugged each other for quite some time.

It felt so strange entering the building again. My cave-home of dug-out stone felt so empty and abandoned when all the people had left. All the rooms that only half an hour ago had been filled with noise and buzz of a million things being taken care of, were now echoing with silence, and I could hear my own heart-beat in my ears.

" So life is back to normal again? Addie said and picked up a forgotten helmet, trying it on, admiring herself in the reflection from a likewise forgotten bronze shield. "  
" I don't know what normal is. Is this normal? He's been here for almost two decades, my little Zeus. Without him - what am I going to do? Go back to herding? I'd..."

" I know what you mean. Thea, I'm - I don't think I'm staying either. I need to see the world. And you should also get out a bit more. Perhaps finding a lover. "  
" Addie, there's a war going on out there. No time for love for most people. Before the hostilities are over I think it's safest to linger here for those who do not do battle. Zeus' Aegis will keep this place from being harmed. "

" Thea, when Zeus takes residence somewhere - will you move there?"  
" I don't think so. I'd visit of course. But I suppose he'll need a life on his own. Without his old ward 'keeping an eye' on him. Because that's how it's going to feel, no matter how old any of us are."


	11. Hera

_Sorry for not updating in such a long time. But I have been quite busy with life and work and such. Nevertheless I hope there's still someone out there who want to read this story about the early years of the Olympic gods. _

_/SE_

**Hera**

It took five years until I saw Zeus again. Years spent by getting some kind of life on my own anew. Adrasteia left in spite of my pleas with her to stay. She had been unrelenting, she told me she was getting too restless and simple needed to get away.

I thought of turning some of the big rooms back to stone again, but then I figured that they might be needed in the future so I let them remain. But I quit using them and went back to those two rooms I had started with, got another dog and concentrated on the goat-herding life again.

Now and then some god stopped by at my place. Injured fighters who needed long-term healing, like growing out a cut-off limb or something. And with them came fresh news about how the war was going. Mostly it was swaying to and from, with no-one seemingly gaining an upper hand.

Then one summer day he returned. I was sleeping in, tired after a late night with an injured goat, when a rap on the door woke me up. Quickly I swept a gown around me (I had grown too skinny since I became alone, not fancying cooking anymore) and started a fire in the hearth. Then I went down and answered the door.

And there he was, my Zeus, greeting me with an awkward one-arm hug since he was carrying a child on his right arm. A girl about five years old. The war had changed him, he looked hardened, stronger and tougher. He had grown a beard, which suited him even if it was probably done out of convenience rather than vain. Then there was a new shine in his eyes. Grim and smart, but also with a grain of sadness, like he had seen too much terror, too many deaths.

"Come on in, Zeusy!" I held up the door. "And you too!" I nodded to the two deities following him. The lithe, blond goddess I recognised as Nike, daughter of Pallas and Styx. She was constantly following Zeus these days. The god though was unfamiliar to me. And who was the girl? She was too old to be a daughter of Zeus.

¤¤¤

"She's Hera", Zeus told when we were gathering around my fireplace drinking heated wine. "A true immortal, yet born from mortal parents. They were probably killed when the Titans swept in over the city of Khorae. This little girl survived, only to be caught by Chronos' men who were dragging her off to who knows what terrible faith when I rescued her."

Hera hadn't said a word. She was sitting in the lap of her saviour, holding on to him and with her head buried at his chest, dark locks of hair hiding her features.  
"Hi Hera!" I tried to peak in behind those locks, wanting to get a closer look at the girl, but she didn't let me.  
"She's shy, scared", Zeus told. "She hasn't said a word since I got her. But she won't let go off me."

"A state of chock, no doubt", Nike stated, helping herself to more of the beverage.  
"Who can blame her?" said the god who had introduced himself as Prometheus. He looked more like a scholar than a warrior to be true, tall and slender and with intelligent eyes in a narrow face and a ponytail of bluish-black hair.

" I want to ask you one thing, Thea", Zeus went on. "I want you to take care of little Hera for me. The way you took care of me. She has lost everything and she sure needs a good home. And a honey-cake now and then. "  
" Of course I will", I assured my boy. "I'll bake some cakes for you to take away too."

Once more I tried to have a look at Hera and once more she didn't let me. Yet I felt assured that I was going to win the girl's heart, given time. She seemed to be a sweetheart, and was looking strong and healthy even for a goddess.

" How long are you staying?" I asked the threesome.  
" Only for the night", Zeus said. "We're going south, trying to locate the pantheon of Amon-Ra, pleading with them to join our case."

" I wish you luck, Zeus. How's it going by the way, this war?"  
" Oh - up and down. We're powerful, that's true, but we are too few. That's why I need to have other Gods joining us. Both Amon-Ra and his pantheon and Mitrah and Ahura Mazda in the east. I'm going to tell them that if we loose, the Titans will come for them next, and then they too will be the unlucky inhibitors of Tartarus. "

" When will you be able to rescue them? Your mother and sisters and brothers?" I asked.  
" I hope soon. But I can't go down there now. Can't give up command yet. That's another reason why I need to look for new Gods. So we can secure our victories, so I might place trustworthy Gods as governors over our liberated cities and still have forces enough with me to fight the Titans. "

¤¤¤

Zeus, Nike and Prometheus didn't get away without trouble the next day. Hera refused to let go of Zeus, he had to pry her little hands loose from around his neck, talking soothing and comforting to the girl who was crying soundlessly from large, dark eyes.  
" Little one, you have to stay with Amalthea now, while I'm continuing on my journey south. I can not take you with me, you know. It's too dangerous. "

And for the first time the girl spoke. Or rather screamed.  
" Nooooo!" she was yelling. "You promised me you were going to protect me. Like I was your own little sister. I don't want you to go! I don't want you to, Zeus! Everybody just disappear! Mum and dad. And Brismene and Hippios. They just disappear! Don't do that to me, Zeus!"

" But I'll come back for you, Hera. I promise. "  
" Everybody say that", Hera was crying. "But no-one ever does. Mum and dad left me in the temple. And Brismene... "  
" Hera, Hera! Please don't cry! I promise I'll return! I will do that. Meanwhile Thea will..."  
" I want to come with you."  
" But you can not. "

They argued like that for a while, then Zeus firmly placed her sitting on the staircase and gave me a quick hug before leaving.  
" Be tender with her. She's fragile" he said.  
" I will. Take care, Zeus! "

Then the struggle started. First Hera didn't want to leave the staircase. She sat where Zeus had placed her, sobbing. I tried gentle words and to bribe her with goodies, but to no avail. Eventually she came up, no doubt tempted by the smell of food when I was making dinner. But she ate very little, and never looked at me nor spoke during the meal.

And when I later showed her the room where Zeus had lived she obediently went to bed, still without speaking a word or showing even the slightest emotion. I tried to tell her about how much Zeus had loved this room and the view over the sea, but Hera only shrugged and turned her back. Poor little girl. And poor me, I realised I was looking at a hard time gaining this little ones confidence.

¤¤¤

I woke up late in the night, only an hour or so before sunrise, my inner timing told me. Something had disturbed my sleep.

Hera? was the first thing that that came to my mind. I went out of bed and over to the girls room. The door was slightly ajar and I pushed it open, already knowing what I was going to find. Or rather not find. So true, Hera's bed was empty.

"She's only at the outhouse" I told myself, realising as soon as I was saying it that I was wrong. Hera was gone.

_Interlude_

Hera, yes. That's one special person. She had to endure a lot during her early years of marriage to Zeus, and I admire her for standing by her man and also sticking up for him when he was having trouble with younger gods wanting to disrupt his world order.

Because while Zeus was a wise and noble ruler, always listening to reason and able to straighten out trouble and quarrels between other gods, he definitely didn't behave mature within the marriage. He was constantly cheating on his women, couldn't let a tempting beauty be. And since he is power, and on top of that both charming and gorgeous, he sure was getting them all.

The girls were in fact running after him, throwing their eggs at him so he ended up with countless of children. And all the time Hera stayed by Zeus' side, although she was crying and arguing with him all the time.

It wasn't until after The Great Withdrawal he learned to control these desires and stay faithful to his beloved. Thus Hera got remembered by the mortals as "the jealous one". A pity, because she was and is so much more. She's Zeus' loyal and hard-working life-comrade, his second in command and source of inspiration. And one of the few persons who can soothe his bad temper.

We haven't met in a while but now and then we call each other or chat over the Internet.  
"So how are you enjoying DC?" I ask her on the phone while painting my toe-nails blue.  
"A bit better this time" Hera says on the other end of the hands-free receiver. I can hear from the noise that she's in a car, driving herself, doing the whole mortal stunt.

" There's more women in power these days and lesser cloned suits-and-ties who tries to reinvent the things my ZeeZee has been doing for millennia. Down to the very – well, you remember Mr Clinton. "  
" Yeah, sure, it was like watching a rerun of your first centuries. Complete with the girls with hairdos from Hades. But are these women in power really different? "  
" At least they are original. Or try to be. "

" When you get tired of it down there, come to Manhattan and we can go shopping and then there's a new Broadway musical I'm sure you're going to love. "  
" Great! Haven't been to Appletown since that crackpot drove his aeroplane into the WTC. We sure did screw up that time, no one taking the warning signs seriously. "

" Perhaps. But Hera, it takes more than some planes to take out this city, it's healthy and vital! "  
" And you are in love, not only with a city but with its guardian as well. "  
" Is that so obvious?"  
" Oh, come on? How long have we been knowing each other?"

" Some millennia, little runaway! And you were bounding to Zeus already back then while I kept walking from arms to arms. "  
"You think this is it then?"  
"I'm not sure. But I'm certainly going to enjoy this ride as long as it lasts. "  
" Thea, I'm going to have to hang up now, but you sure must come to DC too. We've found a great house this time. Almost Greek Style. Not like that fake art-noveau repulsivety we dwelled in last time. Talk to you soon, darling!"  
" Talk to you soon too, Hera!"

_Interlude ends_

Zeus returned with Hera around sunset. She had found him down in Luxor, by tracing his soul pattern. Unusual for a girl at that early age. And she was quite and withdrawn while dragging her feet after her up the stairs and into the room that had been Zeus'.  
" Sleep with one eye open now, will you!" he told me.  
" I'll do my best. "

But my best was not good enough. Twice more Hera ran away, and the last time Zeus agreed upon letting her stay. But not without conditions.  
" If you are going to be with me you'll have to do everything I say. The moment I say it. Do you accept that, Hera?"  
" I do. As long as I can stay. Can you turn me into a warrior, Zeus?"  
" Not me, that'll be Pyrrhikhos' job. I won't have much time for training and teaching, and besides he's better than I at these things. "

" Who's he?"  
" You'll meet him when we get back to Atlantis again. And you'll have to obey him too."  
" But what if he gives order that contradicts yours? Who do I obey?"  
" Me of course. Stop being so clever! Now, do you like honey-cakes? "  
" Sure! You've got some? "

That settled it. Hera stayed with Zeus, received the same training as he had, and could join his forces at the end of the war. And a few decades later that sister-brother thing went out the window, and they entered a more well-known relation.


	12. A journey to Tartarus

_I have chosen to change the myth a bit here. Instead of Chronos eating his children he imprisoned them in the Tartarus along with other defeated foes. And Rhea was kept in what is to become Hades..._

* * *

**A journey to Tartarus **

About a decade after the event with Hera, Zeus entered the realms down under, to retrieve his lost mother and siblings. It was Metis who provided him with the tools to acquire that. Most important was the secret of transcending the time-dimension, which enabled him to leave and return at almost the same instant. This meant that Zeus didn't have to give up command over his divine forces.

"But while they only saw me disappear and then return the next moment with a band of miserable gods in tow, I spent an eternity down in these lover levels. That sure was the worst thing I'd ever done. And I hope it'll take a long time before I have to venture down there again. "

Zeus sat in front of me in my common room. On the coaches around the low table sat and laid the others. Shadows of Gods. Scared, bent and hurt all of them. Pale-looking and withdrawn. They were not physically wounded anymore, their injuries had healed when they had been returned to the world of the living again, yet their souls were still in tatters.

There was Rhea of course, Zeus' mother. But she was a far cry from her wonderful self, of her golden hair only bleak strands remained, her skin was ash-like and her looks haunted. It was like she feared being sent back under again any moment. First she hadn't even recognised me, she was afraid to be led into the cave-home. But after a while she remembered her old maid and then she seemed to relax a bit.

Now Rhea was sitting with a little girl in her arms. A girl called Demeter.  
" I don't know if she's one of mine. I only found her, and I couldn't leave her down there, she whispered."

The others were two women and two men. The apparently sturdiest one was a fully grown man called Poseidon. He looked battered and bruised but at the same time like he couldn't care less.  
" So Cronos is the one who locked us up?" he said to Zeus. "Then take us to him, I sure want to kick his teeth up his nose. "

The second man - more a boy to be true - was worse off on the other hand. He had no name, Zeus simply called him Hadesboy, and he was constantly hiding his eyes for the light, sniffing and gasping for breath. First I thought he was crying, but then I learned that he had problems breathing the air here. He was the one who had been down under for the longest time.

Then there was Hestia, she was freezing, so she went over to the fireplace and took some flames with her and spent the rest of the evening cuddling them to her chest, warming herself, sinking her face down into the flaring green of Divine Light. She said almost nothing.

Cybele on the other hand was definitely a daughter of Rhea, she looked like a female version of Zeus. She was the most talkative of the group, asking questions about me and my place and the war and Cronos and all kind of things.  
" So what happened, Zeus?" I asked as soon as Cybele stopped to catch her breath. "How was it down under? "  
" Terrible", Zeus stated. "Miserable."

¤¤**Zeus' tale **¤¤

The first thing you do if you want to go under is creating what is called an interconnection. It is like a 'gate' between our realm and the realms below, the dominion of the dead and countless of others. Metis helped me opening the first ones, and from them I only ventured down a bit to get the hang of it.

Yesterday evening - or seven months ago on my time line - I opened up the final interconnection to the primary sub-level and travelled down through this strange cataract. It was like a spiral-shaped, meandering pipe, with bluish black, somehow scaled walls; pulsating slowly like affected by a big, alien heart.

No, down was not the direction since no such things as up and down exist in these 'pipes', it was only out of old habit I termed my direction as 'down'. To keep my sanity I guess. Down towards the green light at the end I flew. And I was not alone, the pipe was filled with the dead souls of mortals who had not regained their shape, but were flowing like vapour down the hole, sometimes congealing into a face or a hand, sometimes letting out unearthly sounds as if these people were trying to cry sans vocal cords.

Then I entered this territory of otherness. This place which is not dark nor light, where there's little oxygen and other known gases, but where the wisping and howling winds carry the strangest fumes. This place where you have no shadow, where there's no temperature and yet you are freezing although sweat is soaking you, and where you feel like you're withering away in spite of being immortal. This place where no hunger and thirst exist, and where you feel tired but can not go to sleep because your body don't work the way it does above.

In fact you don't really have your normal immortal body with you in the underworld, it's being suspended in 'meantime' just inside the interconnection, and you are travelling with an extended soul, a pseudobody manufactured just for this trip.

This is Hades, the land where the dead mortals' souls go. Where they forget their lives above, so that they can have their karma values restored and eventually be returned into a new body. Because for them there's only one way in the big Circle of life/death. They can not control the paths down there and return like we can, travel backwards on the Circle, retrieving our bodies.

There, in Hades, I found my mother. My Rhea who I had never known save from when I was a little baby, before my first conscious memories. I didn't know what to look for, had no idea how I should find someone in those vast expanses. But just as light and temperature is not an issue down there, distance is irrelevant. I only had to recall these faint traces of memories of dear mama, and I was standing next to her.

Around her were dead mortals and imprisoned immortals. All of them reaching out for me, because as soon as I spotted mama, I let myself be spotted to. These condemned existences were trying to touch this being of light, this being of above, to gain some of my strength. I was scared of them and pitied them at the same time.

She sat - or rested in that mist of lost souls, naked and with closed eyes, tears striking her face. I held out my hands, called her name, don't ask me how I knew it was her. And she opened her eyes, they had became as grey as everything down here, devoid of the sparkle of immortal life.

_Mother, wake up!_ I soundlessly begged her. _Wake up, it's me, your Zeus. I have come to take you home again._

She didn't answer with words. She had forgotten the speech, the expressions, being so long where language does not work the way we know it. She only lifted her spirit, tried to move it towards me, held out her hand, which didn't look like a hand from the start, more like another formless tear. Nevertheless I took it, warmed it and soon I could hold her close to me, softly whisper her name, waking up those long unused parts of her brain again, having her to remember who she was and that I was her son; her son who had come for her.

Later we were walking hand in hand over to that place where my nameless brother was dwelling. The little boy who in fact was older than me. Or would have been since he had been born years before me. But this is the place where even time works different, sometimes even going backwards, growth hardly exist. This boy of Hades held no age at all. It was only upon bringing him up in the light again I realised he's something like twelve. On the border of puberty.

I helped Rhea and Hadesboy to the down-end of the interconnection, showed them how to venture up, assured them that I would come right after, even if it might feel like years and years to me. Mama was crying again, didn't want to leave me down here, but I assured her that I would be all right, that I was going to get Poseidon and all the others.

_Look at my aura_, I told her. _Look at its light, its too strong for anything to hold me down here. Still I have to get the others.  
__Who's Poseidon?  
__I don't know. My brother perhaps? Only thing I know is that I have to save him too. _

So I returned down, last thing I saw was Rhea picking up another immortal child, a girl who seemed to be in a similar condition as Hadesboy.

Not long after that I was going further down. Here is where you loose all sense of time and direction. I was walking for days, for months; crossing endless black waters and surfaces of plasmas hotter than anything that exists above. Sometimes there were wandering mists, and sometimes I saw thing resembling plants and even animal life, big jelly-fish-like things with intelligence enough to try to communicate, try to find out what kind of being I was who trespassed their land.

A life-form from above. A transcender, a true immortal, the only being who can come down here by free will and return upon will too.

At one moment during my yourney I met a being of hot, burning plasma. 'He' called 'himself' Pyriphlegethon and appeared to be omni-present in these strange regions, like a river of fire. He acknowledged my name and paid me respect, and even if he appeared scary he assured me he was benign. He called himself 'the never-tiring observer' who's business was making sure this place was kept in order and functioned the way it was supposed to.

He had been worried by the fact that there was beings here that did not belong, and was glad when I told him I was here to take them away; because, he told me, their precense and plentitude disrupted the balance of delicate energies.

I was tired and yet not, I was weak and strong at the same time, and I was following that distant call from souls similar to mine, souls who were my sisters and brothers.

Walls of stone I willed away, or I found myself squeezing through narrow cataracts in what appeared to be pseudo-flesh of living beings. I navigated trough colourless mists and passed beckoning places almost looking like paradises we only see in our dreams. And even stranger places, hard to describe. Until...

There it was. Tartarus. The end and the centre of it all where no time and no space exist the way we know it. The place where the Universe bends and starts all over again. No up or down, no future nor a past, no dimensions - just an endless here/now. A singularity so closed and tight that not even light can emerge. And in that terrible place was the prison of my family. My beloved ones who I had never got to know.

But I am Zeus. I am the Ultimate Transcender. I have been born to do these kind of things. I have been born to set things straight again. I am here to let out these unjustly imprisoned. So I opened the singularity with one stroke of my Endless LifeForce, breaking it apart, restarting time again.

Out they came, immortals with pain in their eyes. Hundred Handeds, Cyclopes, Nyx, Erebus and all of the rest. Styx and Hecate and Charon old already at birth. The boy Poseidon and the girls Hestia and Cybele. So fragile, so hurt. I cried in my heart upon beholding them. This was the work of Cronos, the beast who people called my father.

Although he's no father of mine. I deny him that right just as he rejected me once. Destiny I call my father. Destiny who sampled power from the endless beat of the universe and gave it to this young god who's known as Zeus. Destiny who let Rhea give birth to me as the final one in a long line of abused children. Destiny who helped Rhea to get away with me, so I could save her and the others years and years later.

I carried them back, they were too small, too weak, too scared to walk. Holding Poseidon, Hestia and Cybele in my hands I traversed back through liquid fire and burning ice and up those endless, spiralling stairs of slimy matter where you feel like you are falling off all the time because up/down is not what it's supposed to be, here where gravity is in constant flux.

Poseidon, I knew your name from dreams I had had as a child. Dreams of a brother under the sea. Hestia and Cybele, I gave you your names upon the walk up. Hestia who reached for the flame and Cybele who knew my name even before I was born, who had told the others about me, and thus giving them hope that they would one day be liberated.

The Hundred Handeds and the Cyclopes reached daylight again, but Hecate, Charon, Nyx and Erebus had been down too long, they could not go back. Sure, they are immortal, but what good does it do them when they fear the sun and the oxygen. So I left them down there, told them I would send them whatever they needed, help them in any way I could.

Little Styx had melted, she became a river, as did her brothers Acheron and Eridanos. They ended up closing Hades in, the only one able to help the mortals over in the future became the bald man Charon.

This river that had been the woman-child Styx was black, and with such a blackness that not the slightest light emerged, even the foam that patted the banks was black. Yet there was an eerie shine emerging from the waters, like it was glittering in this ambient, greyish green light that passes for day down here. Sometimes I thought that shine to be a musky purple, other times a dirty blue, then dark amethyst, but never reflecting anything even if the water was almost completely still, never making any sounds.

It was indeed the time of Changes, even my footprints were transforming the world down under. And not always to my liking. There was nothing I could do for Styx and her brothers, but bless their poor souls and promise them that if I ever found a way to save them, to turn them back into human beings, I would do so.

I felt it as I finally left, like a shiver in my neck, ice traversing down my spine, how Tartarus closed up again, sealing itself around an empty space, turning into a singularity again. Without its prisoners this time. But in my heart I swore that it was going to hold a prisoner once more. It was going to hold Cronos when I finally got him.

It seemed strange to actually return at the very same instance as Rhea, Hadesboy and the little girl, even if I intellectually knew it was going to happen that way, since I had showed them the same interconnection as I was using.

But as soon as I pushed aside the strands of time-space and rearranged the patterns of nowness, I saw mother Rhea beside me carrying the children the same way as I was carrying my brother and sisters.

_Zeus darling_, she was 'saying'. _I knew it. I knew you were going to come. My little boy. My little Fair Sky, who has become a God of Eternal Light. _

Seeing myself in the timewarp as we finally went trough the interconnection and up Above I understood what she meant. I had changed down under too, but while my sisters and brothers had grown weaker, I had become stronger. I was shining with an almost unbelievable power. At that moment I knew my time had really come. The wanderings I had undertaken had turned me powerful beyond previous limits. From now on I was invincible, I wouldn't even need Adamantine to finish Cronos.

¤¤** Zeus' tale ends**¤¤

" So you're ready for the final battle now?" I asked Zeus when he had finished. He grabbed yet another honey-cake from the large plate and nodded.  
" Any day now. With the destruction of Atlantis I felt like we were loosing and that I had to at least try to save my family before it all became too late. Little did I know that it was the venture down under which was the final key to victory, the real battery-charge for me. "

" But how... what happened? What gave you all that power? "  
" Honestly, Thea, I do no know. Perhaps the ability to overcome my fears released something inside of me which had been there all the time. I did what I had to do even if I was scared beyond reason. "  
" It was there - all the time, my boy", Rhea said. "I know you, you're such a magnificent soul, and I am so proud of you, of having the honour to be your mother. "

At those words Zeus was actually blushing, holding his half-eaten honey-cake like he didn't know what to do with it. Then he turned to me:  
" Thea, I'll leave my family in your good hands from now on. I'm returning to the battle and I'm sure going to kick some rear ends. I'll..."  
" Can I come with you?" Poseidon said and stood up, saluting Zeus.  
" You think - you can manage a combat?" Zeus asked.  
" Yes, didn't you teach us everything on the long way up? It was years for me, I saw all your training, I even was you from time to time. I know how to do it. "

" So do I", Hestia said. "You can not deny us our right to partake in revenge, big brother!"  
" Actually little brother, since we're really older than you!" Poseidon said.  
" All right fellows", Zeus smiled. "Come on then! Anyone else? Cybele? Hadesboy!"

" You bet!" Cybele screamed, but Hadesboy only nodded, still covering his eyes. So in the end it was only Rhea and the girl she had named Demeter who stayed with me. Once again I became Rhea's servant, but not in the chambermaid way this time, but more as a medic. I helped her bathe and tucked her in for the night and did the same for little Demi. And most of all I made sure that they ate even if they had little appetite.

In the days to come I brought Rhea out in the sun again, oiled her greyish pale skin and gave her massage, and slowly but steadily she regained her strength and colours, her laughter returned and her hair grew back. We watched Demi making the same progress: rising on her legs, walking and then running. We saw her finding a loose twig and putting it down in the soil, and the next thing it was a living plant, sprouting new leaves. The girl was laughing and clapping her hands at the new little tree. Life was returning to these semi-dead souls in more ways than one.


	13. The end of the war

**The end of the war**

A couple of months later Rhea and I were reached by a mix of conflicting news. Some said that Zeus had been maimed or even killed in Thessalia, others that he had sacked the Dark Castle at Leviathan and thrown Cronos down in the pits of Tartarus. Other rumours had it that the castle had fallen but Cronos had fled.

But the most persisting stories told that the castle was being held under siege and that Zeus and his gods were trying in vain to break in or that Cronos had fled with Zeus after him while the rest of the Allied Gods were still sieging the stronghold.

" What is one really to believe?" I asked Rhea one mid-morning while we were watching Demeter growing yellow and white roses in the garden. No one had ever seen these kind of colours on roses, it sure looked odd, but Demeter didn't seem to care. She was happily experimenting away, not bothering with what might be considered 'proper'.

" He's fine, I know it." Rhea said. "I would feel it here if something had happened to him", she pointed to her heart.  
" But what about Cronos? If he gets away, how can Zeus ever declare himself victorious? The Titan can hide everywhere, biding his time, and waiting for a chance to strike back. "  
" Eventually he'll have to strike back", Rhea pointed out. "And then my Zeus will have him. Until then he can disarm the rest of the Titans. "  
"But then Cronos will hold the element of surprise, instead of the other way around. "  
" I wouldn't worry about that", Rhea held confidence in her voice. But there was still something haunted in her blue eyes. She still feared Cronos, feared that he would come for her again and throw her back into the realms beneath. And if he did he would probably not be content with Hades this time, but send Rhea all the way down to Tartarus.

Rhea's nights were nightmare-ridden. More than every second night I was woken up by her screams, she dreamt about her ex-husband and Tartarus.  
" He comes for me, comes and gets me, seizes my breath and my sanity. Hades I do not fear anymore, it was gloomy and dull but not really that terrible. But Tartarus... "  
" They're only dreams", I assured her. "They will vanish given time. "  
" Sometimes he has taken Zeus too. My wonderful, beautiful boy, and thrown him down there too. "  
" Rhea, if something like that happens, Zeus will only get out again. Nothing can hold him, he has become too powerful. He opened Tartarus and got the imprisoned gods out from there. And he will do it again if necessary. "

Then came the quake. It was a tremor far worse than the one which had followed the destruction of Atlantis. The shock wave had been precursed by a strange feeling in the air, an edgy tension you could almost touch and which brought a lot of restlessness among the animals. And when it hit it felt like it went deep and far, surprising both Rhea and me with its strength, and frightening little Demeter so she came running to Rhea and hid in her arms.

And I had got the strangest vision. I had seen Poseidon, Zeus' brother, striking the earth with a tall spear, forking off in three arrowheads. The alien tool shone like adamantine, but still it was different, and it was shattering the ground beneath Poseidon, letting out fire and molten stone.

Then - silence. Not the heavy, foreboding silence like earlier in the day, but a silence of relieve. Like if _something_ had come to an end. Something important had happened in the war, but I didn't know what. And while the sun set against the reddest of skies, I closed my eyes, whispering in my mind: _Zeusy darling, are you out there? _

But there was no answer. No reply. My calls were only met with spiritual static.

_Interlude_

The first thing Hera and I do when she finally comes to New York is partaking as audience in the shooting of a VenusMirage show.

Aphrodite has been doing matchmaking for millennia, and the results has been ranging all from perfection to disaster. But with this latest concept, a combination between net-dating and a live TV show, she seems to do everything right. As Deethe Mirage she has become the successor to Ophra as the leading TV-star in the United States.

Of course it's fun seeing Aphrodite act in front of the camera, she's brilliant and witty, using all her divine carisma and skills to make the most out of every show; never a dull moment, never a wasted opportunity. Even the commercial breaks are used, Aphrie spends those pepping the participants and talking to and checking on the crew, perhaps doing some minor last-minute changes.

But the best part comes after, when we go out for drinks together with Aphrie and Demeter pops up out of nowhere. She and Hera hasn't met for ages it seems and they both look overjoyed.

Aphrie smiles at me while blinking one eye:  
" Sometimes you have to 'fix around' a bit among the immortals too. Demi is in town because I blind-dated her with Adad, the Mesopotamian God. "  
" Another thunderer!" I exclaim.  
" Yes, Demi seems to have a thing for those who don't need chargers for their cellphones. Remember when she almost took Zeus from Hera. Or that stormy affair with Norse Thor."  
" And you were behind them both?"  
" No, only the last one. Never thought it should be so earth-shaking, but I guess that's what happens when you set two red-heads together. "

" Talk about earth-shaking, have you any idea what Poseidon's been up to lately?"  
" No clue to be honest. I think he's still down in South Africa looking for oil."  
" Boring hobby!"  
" Indeed! But he gets rich. "  
" Your way of making money seems so much more fun. "

" Yes, I'm beginning to get used to this celeb thing. To like it even. I think I'm going to stay Deethe Mirage for a while. I like it even better than when I was Marilyn Monroe and Castor and Polydeukes were the Kennedy bros."  
" I remember that! It sure was wild! Zeus was so certain that you were going to do some mistake, blow your covers and the mortals would learn who you were. "  
" Ah, not a chance! They don't believe in us anymore, you know! "  
" Yes, but nevertheless Persephone and I were betting on who to go first. And I lost of course."

" Thea, Thea!" Aphrie smiled! "Never bet with Persy on deaths, even staged ones! She sure is the expert! Anyway, today you can always pretend your mortal avatar is visiting Doc Plastic so you don't have to 'die young'. Or fake age, which I can't stand. "  
" Yuck! Don't mention it! My avatar is only 22 at the moment, so I have plenty of time before I have to fake it. Which suits me because I intend to stay long in New York. Never guessed I would like it so much. "

_Interlude ends_

**"**When we found we couldn't break down the walls of the castle the regular ways we decided to destroy the ground it was resting upon instead. That became the job for Poseidon, who has this ability to crack the earth. Using his trident - you know this big "fork" thing - he found the weakest point in the ground beneath the island Leviathan and shattered the stone. That made the castle toppling over, and Cronos fell out of his tower, exposed to my wrath. "

Zeus had been talking for hours, narrating the tale of the Titan war to the gathered deities at Olympos, his new mountain-top home. Now dawn was slowly breaking, the eastern horizon turning a brilliant turquoise and the stars winking out one after another. Most of the Gods and Goddesses had fallen asleep around me on the soft 'cloud-cushions' of Olympos, their Divine Lights burning out in their lanterns or cupped hands.

Still I was listening intensely, sitting comfortable while the sleeping Hera was resting her head in my lap. The 16 year old had grown strong and agile over the years, acquiring the wild beauty of a warrior princess, the scared and shy little girl completely gone.

" Then it was the Tartarus trip for him I assure?" Adrasteia asked, lying on her belly next to me, cheek propped up on folded hands.  
" Yes", Zeus nodded. "With the help of the trajectory formulas Metis had calculated for me, I was able to seize him and send him down under before he knew what was happening. That was the clue to my victory, the element of surprise. Cronos thought himself safe behind those enchanted stones, he had no idea we were going to disrupt the ground beneath him.

On top of that he never guessed I could open up an interconnection directly down to Tartarus and so fast. But thanks to Metis and her mathemathics it took me less than a second after laying my eyes upon the Titan to dispose of him. He never got the chance to defend himself when I chanted the formulae Metis had calculated and created a one-way non-stop expressway for bad old Cronos.

It sure was one sight to behold, reality disappearing into a red whirling inferno surrounded by green and orange sparkles. The multi-dimensional whirlpool sucked my enemy into it with the most dreadful sound. I even saw Tartarus for one terrible second. And from up here it was even more awful to regard - a cluster of radiating darkness, the ultimate hell-pit.

Upon loosing their leader all the courage left the other Titans and the Dark Warriors still around. So then the warfare became mostly about rounding up and bolting down. "  
" So now what? Adrasteia asked again. With Cronos gone, what are you going to do?"

" I have a large group of followers", Zeus said and nodded to those still awake: Leto, Prometheus, Metis, Themis, Poseidon, Selene. "And I have a lot of things I want to do. I plan to change this world, make it a better place to live in for both mortals and Gods. I wish for peace and justice to rule, and I want to put an end to misery, poverty and despair. It will take centuries, even millennia, I know. But we have all the time in the world, don't we?"

" And it's a great group you have gathered, I said, looking around. But I'm missing a God. Where is Hadesboy?"  
" He's down under again. "  
" Why? What happened?"  
" He wanted it. As strange as it might sound he never cared much for this world above, with its strong sun that blinded him and brought blisters to his sensitive skin. He hated the wind and the rain and constant shifting of the light when day became night and then back again. And he grew uncomfortable with the waste expanses.

One day he came to me, told me he wanted to go home. Home as in back to the place where he had been living for decades before I came and sent him up again. Home where he didn't have to have a name attached to him - we tried to call him Pluto but he detested that - and home to his friends."  
" He has friends down there?" I asked.

" Yes. We might call them beasts, those packs of three-headed dogs and whatever dwells down there, but to Hadesboy they're friends. And that strange void where the pale light is everywhere and nowhere and up is down and down is up - that is home to my brother. The place he grew up, the place he grew adjusted to. So I let him go. Why should I keep him here where he don't want to be? Because I want him around? No, Zeus don't do this kind of things. Each to his own I believe in. So I helped Hadesboy going home again. "

Metis crept closer to her beloved and whispered something to him. Zeus nodded and went on:  
" What I also want to say is that this place, this mountain top might look barren and unwelcoming right now, being only rocks and snow and this makeshift villa; but I will turn it into a more comfortable place. I'm going to make Olympos not only Metis' and my home, but a place where all of you are welcome to live or stay as long as you desire. It sure is big enough. And if there's someone special you like to bring, this hospitality will include him or her as well. But I will ask you for something in return."

" What?" Prometheus wanted to know. He was resting a bit away from Zeus, near the hearth where Hestia kept the Divine Light burning even in her sleep. She was using orange, purple, red and blue flames as well as the regular green ones, its light creating amazing effects where it shone off the marble pillars or danced in the ornaments of crystal and gold.  
" Help is what I'm asking for. Help with this new world order I desire to create. "

Zeus waved his arm in a general direction:  
" The mortals down there - I want to create a new kind of man. An Iron-Age man. A man who do not have desire for making war upon his neighbour but cultivating the land and engaging in crafts, art and trade instead. "  
" Count me in", Prometheus said. "I care about these poor things. I'll help you."  
" Me too", Themis followed. And several other deities echoed her expression.

I thought it over for a while then said:  
" I'll help you too, Zeus. Yet I don't think I'll come living at Olympos. I'm a bit of a simple woman. A palace life has never been my thing. Then I think I'd miss Crete too much. I'm just like Hadesboy. I want to be home. "  
" But I'll miss you Amalthea! And your honey-cakes. "  
" I can still make them for you. Gives you a reason to come visit me and your mother back on old Crete. "  
" Now what can I say to that?" Zeus smiled and held out his hands.  
" Tell them that they are welcome to visit Olympos in return of course", Metis said. She always had an answer, that girl.


	14. The new king

**The new king**

About a year after the fall of Cronos the immortals of the world got together and voted Zeus King of the Gods. It wasn't as much an election as a state of an already made fact. Zeus had taken the lead naturally after the war and since he had displayed all that enormous amount of power and on top of that had a large group of followers, there was no-one who questioned him, not even among the mighty gods in the east.

Most of the older gods were in fact more tempted by comfort and luxury than actual power, and preferred to leave the royal position to a younger, hungrier man.

There were also still Titans out there giving both gods and mortals trouble, but Zeus had his followers dealing with them while he started to build the world he had pictured in his mind.

Zeus hadn't believed it to be easy, and he sure got that right. Immortals wanted all kinds of things, pulled in every direction, schemed and plotted worse than any mortal assembly. And because of Zeus' hot tempers disagreements about how to run the world often ended up in disputes, which for an outsider must have appeared really terrible.

I especially remember the event with the Divine Light. Zeus' counsellor Prometheus believed that its amazing and magical qualities should be enjoyed by mortals as well as immortals. What Prometheus didn't take in mind, even if he's a sensible and intelligent man, was that the very magical qualities of Divine Light made it dangerous as well, especially for mortals, who lack abilities to control it.

Divine Light isn't like regular fire, which needs oxygen, heat and fuel to burn and can easily be put out using water or by ending the supply of oxygen. Divine Light only needs the slightest attention of a divine mind to keep on burning. Zeus' sister Hestia is especially skilled with it and she was the one who started that very special fire of Divine Light at Olympos. It was from her hearth Prometheus stole a flame when Zeus told him not to share the Divine Light with the mortals.

We were enjoying breakfast, sitting in the early morning sun at the east-facing terrace when Zeus' messenger Iris came flying with an upset and worried look upon her face, her rainbow-coloured veils trailing behind her. She halted just inches from crashing into the meal-table.

" Zeus! Zeus!" she called out.  
Zeus hailed her but showed no concern. He knew that Iris sometimes over-reacted. This was no such time though:  
" What is wrong, my friend? "  
" Thaneria is on fire", the goddess exclaimed.

" What?" Zeus rose. Mumbles of concern broke out around him, Selene getting her nectar in the wrong throat and coughing upon it.  
" The whole city is burning, and the mortals don't seem to be able to put out the fires. It appears that the fires are of the Divine kind. Of Hestia's kind."  
" My kind?" Hestia's yellow eyes widened. "But I haven't - By Styx, I swear! "  
" Prometheus!" Zeus raged, glaring around the table, but his counsellor was not around.

" He's sleeping in of course", the King of Gods went on. "But I am sure going to kick his sorry ass out of bed! Hestia! Go down there and retrieve your flames immediately before more damage is done! Helios! Hera! Poseidon! Eos! You follow and save what can be saved! Lives first!"

Zeus left his meal half-finished, and strode over to the elegant villa Prometheus had built for himself a bit away from the main palace. The King's aura was red with rage and Metis and I set after him, worried that he would do something reckless. Behind us Hestia and the others left the table too, to obey Zeus' order and try to salvage lives in the Thessalian city.

Zeus didn't bother with the door, he crashed right through the wall and pulled the drowsy Prometheus out of bed.  
" You idiot!" He bellowed so the whole Olympos shook. "You fool, you arrogant, thick-brained knows-it-all! "  
" What now? What the...?" Prometheus was shaking his dark head, trying to clear out the fumes of sleep, to understand what his lord meant.

" Didn't I tell you that this would be the case with mortals and Divine Fire? They don't have the skills to control it, they don't have the respect for it that takes. They think they can deal with it just as with normal, chemical fire, and they have trouble enough as it is with that kind. Now Thaneria is on fire and people down there are dying. That's your deed! "  
"But I told them to leave the flame in my temple, where I could keep an eye on it until I would be able to teach them..."  
"You can't teach them a skill they can't acquire, Prometheus! You could as well try to teach fishes to grow legs and walk on land. "  
"Zeus, if we are to create a new kind of man, wouldn't it be..."

" Come on! Get real for once! Don't let your vain control you all the time! You want to be known as the Great Benefactor of man, and instead you burn down their cities. Probably a young mortal went into your temple and brought out the flame, trying to use it for cooking or heating or whatever and then lost control over it! "  
" Zeus, it is not vain speaking, it is concern for those people down there who are toiling..."  
" Go tell that bull to someone who might believe it!"

Zeus' face was dark with rage, sparkles of static were flowing from his brows and locks of hair and his knuckles were white when he drew the naked Prometheus into the white marble wall, damaging it even more.  
" And on top of everything, you pluck flames from the Olympic hearth, trying to make it look like my sister did it! I thought you were too noble for such dirty tricks, but apparently I misjudged you."

Once more Zeus crashed the other God into the wall, and this time half the roof came crashing down, and I had to jump away to avoid getting hit by a falling beam.  
" Now Hestia has gone to get her fire an the others are trying to save lives. That should really be your duty, but one God is not enough for such a labour. Now, don't ever let me catch you with your hands in Hestia's fire again, because then I swear I'll chain you to a rock and let the eagles feed on your liver. "  
" Zeus..."  
" Enough! Don't try my patience!"

Zeus let go of Prometheus, who fell to the floor, his hands around the neck where Zeus had grabbed him, black bruises after the King's fingers. Zeus left abruptly and took in the air, aiming for Thaneria, no doubt with helping the others in mind.

Prometheus crawled up to a somewhat sitting position, looking at me and Metis:  
" I just wanted to help", he despaired. "But that power-corrupted, hard-hearted..."  
" Shut up, you moron!" Metis snapped at him.  
" Prometheus", I told him, "I know you wanted to help. But you did a dire mistake. People died down there in the fires."

" Get out of here, Miladies, please!" he begged us.  
" You are the one who should leave", Metis returned. "Leave Olympos. It's not the first time you've messed up my husbands plans. I'm only surprised he hasn't lost patience with you earlier. Feeding your sorry liver to the eagles would only seem fitting after killing all those people down there with your so called help."

_Interlude_

Some mortal must have heard that eagle-and-liver story and passed it on to the next guy and then to the next and then they went on believing it happened. What really happened was that Prometheus and Zeus kept on having disagreements about the society of mankind, mostly because Prometheus wanted to run ahead with all kinds of experiments, while Zeus believed in threading more carefully.

After several fights like that Zeus took Metis' advice and told Prometheus his services was not needed within Olympos anymore. So Prometheus took his things and left, his somewhat witless brother Epimetheus trailing after him.

But he's still out there doing his thing, caring for humanity. From time to time I hear about his whereabouts, mostly in disguise of a mortal. Sometimes when reading between the lines in the newspaper about a new kind of medicine or a smart gadget, I might guess it's Prometheus who have left the faint traces.

" Apparently he's in DC now, lobbying for the Space Research programme. So he's probably going to bump into a certain Joe Peters. And that should be interesting."  
I look at Hestia, who's sitting at the railing of my balcony, swaying too and from, letting the wind catch her long, blond hair.  
" Yes, I know about Joe Peters. Saw him on TV the other day. But please come down from there! If a mortal see you..."

" They won't. "  
" Invisible stunt?"  
" Nope, are no mortals around up here. Just some American gods. "  
" Where?"  
" Over at the Chrysler Building. Sitting on top of it. Wonder what they are up to. "  
" Oh - yes, I see them too. Hudson's 'homies'."  
" Hudson's what?"  
" His pals!"  
" Oh, Thea, now you've started talking like him too. What are we going to do with you?"

Hestia smiles and let go of the railing, somersaulting twice in the air before jumping back at the balcony. Just in time, because a helicopter filled to the brim with mortals comes flying by. Men in suits and ties who waves at Hestia and me, no doubt intrigued by the sight of two women in bikinis at the penthouse terrace.

_Interlude ends_

Metis was sitting on the couch crying her eyes out while I was holding her new-born daughter. It sure felt like being rewinded some 40 years back in time while looking at little Athena. Same pretty nose and big, blue eyes as her father, she even smelled the same. Yet her mother was devastated.

" I don't know where it went wrong", she wept, "I thought he loved me, that what we had was special. And then... he goes on... doing that... THING. I never thought... And with Themis of all people, that self-righteous, haughty old hag!"  
" Metis, dear", Rhea comforted, holding the younger woman. "Come on, tell us from the start, what happened? "

" I came home to Olympos a bit earlier", Metis started. "I planned to surprise Zeus by sneaking in upon him, but he wasn't in the office. Then I heard strange sounds from the bedroom. Like some were - you know. I hesitated, but then I thought 'that's my bedroom too' and opened the door. Only to find him - my husband, the father of my child - in bed with that... that _whore_! Metis spat, wrinkling her sweet face in disgust. "

The goddess told how she had just stood there paralysed, not wanting to believe what she was seeing, and that Zeus and Themis had appeared just as surprised. Then Themis wisped off, the immortal way of transcending the space-dimensions, and Metis had started to cry. Zeus sought to comfort her, told her that it meant nothing, just being 'some fun with a friend and no big deal'.  
" But I didn't see it that way", Metis dried her tears upon her silk scarf. "To me these things you do as woman and man are special. Am I wrong on this?"  
" No, you certainly are not", Rhea said. "My son must have been mislead by that woman. She's several decades older than any of us and no doubt well bewandered in how to turn a man on. I'm going to talk to my son about this. He must not be mislead in that way. People might use it against his position. "

" I don't care about his position", Metis said. "He destroyed something in me with that betrayal. I can not love him anymore. It's over. He can do it with Themis or Eurynome or Leto or anyone for all I care. "  
" He do love you", Rhea insisted. "I'm sure this was a mistake. A one-time slip. Come on now, take Athena and go back to Olympos. Tell him you forgive him if it won't happen again. "  
" But it will", I told the other women. "Once a man has got the taste for adultery he'll have a hard time to stop. That was what ended my parents' relationship. My father finding comfort with other women, and my mother learning about it. Metis, you and Athena are welcome to stay here."  
" I'd love that. For a while at least. To catch my breath and think. And stroll in Demeter's beautiful garden. She really has made something special here. "

Oceanos' daughter was right, Demeter had turned the old war-training turf into a magnificent park, with flowers of all kinds and then some which the young goddess had invented. There were fruits and vegetables, there were herbs, spices and parfumers, there were flowers for every season, even those who blossomed in winter time. And I guess it was a sign of the times that what had once been a place for martial arts was now a garden full of living, growing beauty. The sign of peace.

Metis stayed longer than expected, and befriended Demeter quite a bit. Together we walked in Demeter's garden where birds sang and small ponds glittered in the sunlight. And one day we were reached by the news that Leto was pregnant with a child of Zeus.  
" He sure didn't wait to replace Athena", Metis scorned.  
" Please don't see it that way", I tried to tell. "I'm sure Zeus loves his daughter in spite of being a bit reckless when it comes to horizontal entertainment. "

Leto soon followed Metis example, leaving with one twin child on each arm, when Zeus chose Hera instead of her. But Hera entered another tactic upon being cheated on. She remained with Zeus and finally, after several millennia and about a handful immortal and hundreds of mortal bastard children, the King of Gods tired of wandering from arms to arms and chose to stay true to the matrimonial promise he had once given Hera.

But at that time he and his co-workers had stopped being the Gods in the human minds and moved on to become the hidden rulers of the world, and instead created a simpler religion for the mortals.


	15. Closing notes

_Since no one was reading this anyway I decided to end this story here. There are more material written but I might use that for other purposes in the future.  
__/S E_

" You like it?" I ask Zeus.  
" I sure do!" The blond, handsome man looks up from the prints, putting down his half-finished beer. He's wearing casual for a change, pale indigo jeans and a black T-skirt saying 'Gods do it better'. He's clean-shaven these days and his hair is cropped short, otherwise he looks like he always have. Strong and healthy, safe and reliable, but with that glint in his eyes showing that he still like to rock the boat from time to time.

We're sitting in my living room, rain is falling outside painting wet worms on the glass of the panoramic windows, a welcoming rain after weeks of drought and heat. Zeus do know how to do his things, when he forgets to be 'Joe Peters' for a while.  
" So you're not annoyed by those not so flattering parts?" I'm asking a bit reluctantly.  
" I don't care if everything about me isn't benign, because I sure was a spoiled brat back them, obsessed with power and about my own relevance and perfection. I got a bit carried away by being the supreme god, and worshipped by millions; not really able to handle it. And I did behave like a jerk against people I loved. Poor Metis, it never even occurred to me that she felt betrayed when I cheated on her. It was only when I was on the brink of loosing Hera too I finally understood. "

" You were young, I know. You were fine already back then, but hadn't acquired a percentage of the wisdom you're holding now. We have all come a long way. "  
" And look at the state of the world", Zeus sighs. "Still in a mess, more than ever. Seems like the mortals never learn. Sometimes I wonder if we did right in letting them have it all. "  
" Don't give up hope, you're doing a great job and so are a lot of others. "  
" But this whole Christianity thing?"  
" It did let you off the hook, you could concentrate on the real important things instead of having to show off with lighting and thunder. I still think it a stroke of genius. And one day you'll get the credit you deserve. "  
" You really think so?"  
" I sure do, Zeus. "

The next moment Hudson enters through the private elevator, drying himself off in a mist of steam.  
" Hi Zeus! So you're the one raining on NY?"  
" Yes, I thought it needed some watering. Central Park was almost brown. And you are to become a lucky father, Thea just told."  
" Indeed! And I'm flattered, being the first one to knock this beautiful goddess up. "

" What took you so long?" Zeus asks me.  
" I'm not sure. I've been nanny to so many gods over the millennia, your children and grand-children and gg-children and beyond that. So I guess I had to try this on my own for a chance. "  
" You'll be a pro", Zeus smiles. "You were great even back then, when I was a kid."

Yes, I am 'knocked up' as Hudson calls it. And while Zeus and Hudson opens up a bottle over the matter and Hera, Rhea and some of the rest start to arrive I sneak away and add these last notes to my story. And now I know why I wrote it. For my daughter to read in the future.


End file.
